


Resolve to Fly

by Rueitae



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Abduction, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Blood and Injury, Canonical Character Death, Choking, Crash Landing, Dehumanization, Electrocution, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Galra Arena, Gen, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Katie is 13 to start the fic, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Minor Character Death, Near Death Experiences, POV Pidge | Katie Holt, Pidge is a good kid who just gets her safety rug pulled out from under her, Pidge thinks she is above the advice 'don't go with strangers', Pidge | Katie Holt Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Pidge | Katie Holt Whump, Pidge | Katie Holt-centric, Pidge's period is used as a minor plot point, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Slavery, Torture, Whipping, and then finds her way as a Paladin anyway, by falling and sword, centaur and naga aliens, key word threat there, mature rating is for the graphic depictions of violence, merges with canon towards the end, reflecting on possible horrible deaths, shock cuffs, threat of breeding, to introduce a character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:15:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 75,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27680569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rueitae/pseuds/Rueitae
Summary: Katie is already missing her father and brother on the weekend before they begin to prepare for the Kerberos mission. After a disastrous first day at the family cabin, she’s down in the dumps - tired, hungry, miserable, and wishing the Garrison would just let their entire family go to space together so she doesn’t have to miss them.A distraction comes in the form of a mysterious crash in the woods near the cabin. Awake to investigate at night, Katie comes face to face with an honest to goodness alien. All is mended as she imagines the discovery of intelligent life from other than Earth will delay the Kerberos mission until Katie is old enough to be the pilot.Lieutenant Haxus has other plans, as Katie realizes far too late.In this reality, Sam and Matt won’t be the first of the Holts to get lost in space.
Relationships: Krolia & Pidge | Katie Holt, Pidge & Myzax, Pidge & trash floof, Pidge | Katie Holt & Green Lion, Pidge | Katie Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt's Family, Pidge | Katie Holt & Rover, Pidge | Katie Holt & Voltron: Legendary Defender Team
Comments: 68
Kudos: 55
Collections: Fav_Fics_TQ, Pidge Angst Bang





	1. Don't go with Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the Pidge Angst Bang 2020! My patient and tenacious beta is [Moo](https://doughnuts-5ever.tumblr.com/) and my outstanding artist is [Alchemie](https://alchemie0.tumblr.com/)! Please go shower them with affection and marvel over the gorgeous art. I squeal every time I see it, and I have actually looked at them for hours. 
> 
> [Seriously, click on this link and look at this beautiful art.](https://alchemie0.tumblr.com/post/636591659476451328/resolve-to-fly-artwork)
> 
> I originally wanted to write something under 5k for this event, because I was in the middle of a move across the state for a new(ish) job. It was a very bad September for me and this fic ended up being therapeutic to the point I just didn't want to stop (As of a week before posting I still don't want to stop but my beta assured me I covered all my bases). So, that's how I ended up writing my longest fic for the vld fandom thus far, clocking in at around 75k. 
> 
> And so here it is. I've always wanted to write something with one of the Paladins/all the Paladins being abducted before they knew they were Paladins, and even before vld existed I had wanted to do something with an alien abduction to this effect. This event was the perfect opportunity to send my fav through the wringer. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm so excited to finally share it!

From her spot in the back seat, Katie slumps against the car door. A bored fist holds up her cheek as they zoom past the clusters of pines and maples that line the old park road. Radio static blends in with the crackle of the tires against the gravel. Sullen and weary, she’s trying to enjoy this family trip, listening to her parents chat over how to fix the broken radio. Because this is the last time her family will be whole until Matt and her father return from Kerberos. 

It is the opportunity of a lifetime and Katie is so proud that members of her family will be in the history books…

But she won’t be with them. With her other hand, she absentmindedly plays with her favorite necklace, a cute little star and heart pendant she’s had since she was eight; a physical reminder of the promise to herself that one day she’ll see the stars up close. And as if not being able to go to space with her brother and father isn’t bad enough - thirteen is _not_ too young to go into space, in her opinion - the way her parents want to spend their last family weekend at a cabin in the middle of nowhere is _infinitely_ worse. 

Instead of soaking in the useless facts Matt will rattle off the top of his head while packing or enjoying her father’s warm hugs, she’ll be slapping mosquitoes all over her arms and legs and interrupt every meaningful moment when wayward pollen forces her to sneeze. 

But she’ll try to enjoy it for their sake. Because Katie loves her family and will do anything for them. 

“Hey, Pidge!” Matt speaks excitedly. His elbow hits her arm as he exuberantly leans over and shoves a brochure in her lap.

“I told you not to call me that,” she grumbles, but opens the brochure anyway. The advertisement boasts the park is in possession of the latest and greatest telescope; just in time to see off the crew of the Kerberos mission. 

Pride for her family and disappointment about not being able to go with them duel in her heart. If only she were a few years older and a student at the Garrison herself, then perhaps they’d make an exception. The media power of a family going into space together surely would sway the mind of Admiral Sanda and the rest of command. 

“Sorry, Katie,” Matt amends, though he isn’t quite able to hide his disappointment that she hasn’t accepted his childhood nickname for her. To his credit, he hides it quickly with a wink and a smug smile. “But we have to check it out! It’ll be a Perseid party!”

Katie grins, the prospect of watching the meteor shower with her brother instantly brightening her spirits. No matter what, he always seems to know just what to do to make her day. No different than the day he told her of his acceptance into the Garrison, she already feels much lighter and more hopeful. Maybe this weekend in the woods won’t be so bad after all. 

“Too bad Bae Bae couldn’t come,” she remarks sorrowfully. “She’d enjoy—“

The rest of the words are stolen from her as the car jolts to a sudden stop and smoke emerges from the engine.

“What in the Milky Way...” Sam wonders as he leans around the steering wheel and out the window. 

“I knew this piece of junk wouldn’t last,” Colleen groans as she slumps towards the passenger side door, pushing it open. “Remind me to give Iverson an earful and the number to a proper mechanic.”

Colleen exits and Sam follows from the driver’s side. “Matt, Katie, time to get a crash course in engine mechanics. It’s no rocket ship,” he jokes, “but you should both know your way around these old models."

Katie bites her lip, but opens her door and rounds the car to join her parents and brother. Quickly assessing the damage, including the sorry condition of the carburetor and the corroded battery, she notes, "I don't think this one is salvageable, Dad.”

Colleen props the hood of the car up. “Looks like it overheated for the last time.”

Matt coughs and waves the smoke away. "That's the problem with these old gas engines."

“Ew,” Katie adds when she studies the mangled mess. “The carburetor is totally rusted over. How often does this thing get used?”

"Okay, I get it," Sam laughs lightly. "Next time we're borrowing Sanda's car."

"Or," Colleen adds pointedly. "We could buy our own."

"We don't need a car! We can walk to work and school." Casually he wraps an arm around his wife's shoulders. "That's also less money for the “Turn the Basement into a Science Lab” fund.”

"Lab gets my vote!" Katie says brightly, raising her hand. She salivates over the lab that one day very soon she can play in.

"I vote lab, too," Matt adds, waggling his eyebrows in Katie's direction. "Garrison won't let me look for aliens on the premises."

Sam and Colleen poke at the still smoking engine, no indication they heard Matt's words. Katie rolls her eyes. "Is that the only reason you applied for the student position on the Kerberos mission?"

Matt grins, eyes glinting with swagger. "We all have dreams that lead us to our careers, Katie. You'll get that when you're older."

Katie hardly notices the increasing alarm on her parent's faces before the smoke from the car's engine envelops them. She studies Matt's face and finds not a hint of mischief. "You really believe they're out there, don't you?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" he responds sincerely. "I'd love to be the first to meet them and take in their wisdom. Can you imagine the kind of technology they'd have to share? All the different ways to live life," he airs wistfully, looking up at the still sunny skies. "It's so fascinating."

A smile worms its way onto her face, heart warmed when anyone in her family speaks with such enthusiasm about their dreams. She wants this for Matt. Katie just wishes that they could go together. 

There’s a loud _pop_ from the engine, interrupting the sibling moment. Katie jumps away, as does the rest of her family, as the old car breaks down. The tires come off and the car drops to the dirt, wheezing its last breath.

There is silence for a moment.

"Well!" Sam finally says brightly. "Looks like we're taking that nature hike sooner than we thought! I know a shortcut!"

~~~~~~

Katie sneezes loudly. A chorus of _bless you_ follows. 

“Where’s the allergy relief pill?” she asks through sniffles, wiping her watery eyes with the long, thin sleeves.

Colleen turns her backpack and opens a front pocket. After what feels like an eternity to Katie’s growing headache and stuffy sinuses, her mother fishes out what she needs. “Here, you should keep it on you. I didn’t realize we’d have a hike so soon.”

Katie groans and takes the half empty packet. Her mother didn’t pack the new one, she’ll have to conserve and choose when to be miserable if she’s to make it last the weekend. 

"Are you sure this is the right way, Dad?" Katie asks, desperate for the impromptu family hike to be over and relax in sweet air conditioning. Nervously scanning the trees, she is pretty sure that even though it's been more than a year since she's been here, this isn't the right way to the cabin. Her stomach rumbles - it must be hours they've been walking.

Sam hums, albeit nervously. "I'm...mostly sure."

"It's a nice walk at least!" Colleen says perkily. "It looks like we still have another mile to go. There's the fire watch tower over there. It's a three minute walk northeast to the cabin from there."

Katie sneezes again. Another mile of pollen and itchy eyes is exactly what she doesn’t need. This is _just_ the reason she didn’t want to come here in the first place. 

Sam turns his head and gives both his children an apologetic smile. "This is why your mother was the communication specialist during flight school. Mitch wasn't great with directions either."

"Iverson is still a softy and never wanted to ask," Colleen adds with a huff. "Katie, when you get to flight school don't ever let him intimidate you, he's just a big teddy bear."

Katie chuckles, loudly sniffing to unclog her stuffed up nose. The pill is working already. "Not this future fighter pilot."

"A few more years and you'll be the one flying us to Kerberos, I'm sure of it," Sam adds encouragingly.

Though the sun is sinking below the treeline and cooling the air, Katie feels warmer than she has all day. With her as a pilot, her parents as the scientists in engineering and biology and Matt in communications, they really can fly all of the deep space Garrison missions as a family. "Not going to tell me I should be working as a scientist?"

"We'll support you no matter what you want to do, Katie. It’s a wonderful goal," Colleen says sincerely. "You'll use your love of science to make you the best pilot you can be."

More than all of their talks about new technology at the Garrison, this is why Katie loves her family - their unconditional love and support. She adjusts the backpack around her shoulders, watching her sneakers crackle against the gravel road, enjoying the heat in her cheeks and heart.

Turning her backpack around to her chest, Katie opens the zipper to grab at one of her granola bars. If they have another hour walking, dinner won't be for even longer. She needs something to hold her off in the meantime.

The hand that holds the bottom of her backpack is wet upon touch. Katie stops, heart suddenly skipping a beat as she hopes she’s mistaken.

"Hey, Matt, is my backpack wet?" she asks nervously for a second observation. It’s one she really doesn’t need, but Katie isn’t impervious to denial and she needs to deal with this scientifically.

The weight of her clothes and snacks inside is lifted as Matt stops and checks.

"The bottom is completely soaked," Matt groans. "The cooler must have been leaking again."

"Oh no!" Katie whines, digging through her very wet clothes and very soggy snacks. "Matt, can I have one of your granola bars? I'm starving."

Matt digs into his own pack and pulls out...the wrong bars. "I've got peanuts and oats."

"Ewww," Katie groans. "They’re so dry. How can you even like those?"

"Your loss," Matt shrugs. "They've got peanut butter in between."

"The whole peanuts ruin it for me and you know it," Katie moans, spirits right back in the dumpster.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Colleen sympathizes. "We'll hurry up and get to the cabin, get your clothes drying, and make you some popcorn, okay?"

It's at this point in time that Katie has an awful feeling that the weekend will only get worse from here.

~~~~~

It's dark by the time they reach the cabin. Colleen isn’t wrong, but the unexpected broken bridge along the path makes their journey hours longer. Though, if not for the signs nearby showing the detour to the cabin, Katie knows her family would be sleeping in the woods that night. So she’s thankful for the small blessings, miserable as she is.

Katie drops her bum in exhaustion onto one of the sitting logs around the roaring fire pit her father has put together. Her mother hangs the remainder of her wet clothes on the clothesline, where they will stay until morning for the park ranger in the watchtower or anyone driving by to see - like the horror stories of summer camp bullies hanging underwear up on the flag pole. The more Katie reflects on it, the more her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

A light tickle on her leg tells Katie the mosquitoes are out. No sooner as she’s slapped her leg, another needs to be removed from her arm. 

“Please tell me someone brought the bug spray?” she hopes aloud. 

Matt slaps his own elbow, face a look of utter disgust. “I think it’s in the blue bag.”

Katie stands and jogs inside the cabin. It’s cozy and filled with all the comforts of home - making this hardly a real camping trip. If not for her father’s insistence to have a family bonfire - quicker to make s’mores than dinner - Katie would have insisted to stay in. 

There is no blue bag, not the one Katie knows contains the bug spray. 

She rummages through all the bags anyway, throwing clothes all over the plaid couch, desperately hoping that someone had the foresight to not leave the bug spray with the broken down car…

Nowhere. 

But she does find the cooking spray. Useless. 

Katie bravely trudges outside only because that is where food is and her stomach rumbles uncomfortably in hunger. No sooner than she leaves the sweet air conditioning, she is assaulted in multiple places by the little blood suckers. 

“Did you find the bug spray?” Colleen asks as she hangs Katie’s bright pink bra on the wire. 

“We left it in the car!” Katie exclaims in exasperation, nerves on edge seeing her undergarments out for the world to see.

Matt’s jaw drops. “No way. One of us had to have brought it! Going to the telescope is going to be torture!”

Katie's heart sinks. Besides food, going to the brand new telescope with Matt is the one thing she was looking forward to on this trip. “We’ll miss the meteor shower!”

“I said it’d be torture but not impossible,” Matt amends. There’s some sympathy to his tone but Katie is far from ready for it. “We should still go.”

“We’re going to get eaten alive if we go!” she complains. 

“You’ll see the shower plenty well from here,” Sam interjects with a wise grin, a clear attempt to pacify the both of them. “There’s one twice as powerful at the Garrison you both can look through the night we get back.” He holds a marshmallow up on a stick. “Who wants to make s’mores? Mosquitoes aren’t so bothersome by the fire.”

On cue, her stomach growls and Katie is the first to make it to her father's side and receive the treat, though Matt and her mother aren’t far behind. She settles back down on the log and sticks it into the fire, watching the marshmallow intently for when it burns just enough to be crispy on the outside and maintain its fluffy inside. Matt does the same at her side as their parents go about roasting hot dogs in the same manner. 

All is well. With no Bae Bae to steal her treat prematurely and the mosquitoes not _quite_ as annoying by the fire, Katie thinks that perhaps this is finally the year she will get the marshmallow to s’mores perfection. 

Until Matt snickers next to her and taps his stick against hers. 

Katie glares, her patience holding on by a thread. “Cook your own marshmallow, Matt.”

He taps it again and makes the stupidest space movie noises. “It’s the perfect backdrop to Jedi training. C'mon, Pidge.”

“I told you to stop calling me that,” she grumbles. 

“Your childhood crush would be so sad to hear that.”

“I thought the Tramp would be a good match for Bae Bae!” Katie defends her younger self, then sighs in blissful memory of the animated movie. “To have that carefree sense of adventure and still be a kind person and a gentleman under that rough exterior…”

Matt smirks and continues to press the issue. “Pidge is also a great space name. Fits perfect as a Jedi.”

“It sounds like a bird, not a Jedi,” Katie says with a twinge of her nose.

“Well,” Matt says unhelpfully, “you are cute and tiny like one.”

Katie tightens her fingers into fists, anger boiling to the surface. “I am not! Take that back!”

Swiftly pointing her stick at Matt to punctuate her point, the speed at which she does so makes the marshmallow fly off the stick and into the only patch of mud in the campground. 

Of all the rotten, no good luck...

“Ah! My marshmallow!”

“Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ve got one _hot_ dog coming up,” Sam says with a grin that betrays he means it as a pun. Colleen already munches on one, but sets it down to retrieve a bun for Katie. 

It’s not to be. The overuse of the flimsy stick collapses with the weight of the juices and the hot dog falls into the middle of the fire. 

Katie’s jaw drops incredulously at the increasingly awful day. Tears prick at her eyes as the weighty ball of frustration and hunger combine and climb closer to her heart. It stands on the verge breaking the dam holding back the waterworks. 

“Oh, Katie I’m so sorry,” her father says. 

“You can have the rest of mine, I know you’re hungry,” her mother follows. And Katie wants to take her mother up on that, but it has relish on it, and Katie can’t stand relish.

It’s one miniscule irritation too much. Hungry, bug bites all over, and sore from their hike from the car, Katie blows her top.

“I hate this!” she yells, more to herself but very aware her family is listening, as she stands. “This is supposed to be the best weekend ever because we won’t see each other for a year! We should have stayed home!” She inhales, embarrassed over the uproar and knowing none of this is her family’s fault. “I’m going to bed. Don’t wake me.”

Matt stands with the intent to follow her. “But the meteor shower…”

But Katie is at her limit. “There’s a million other meteor showers that happen all the time! I’ll wait to see one of those with you when you get back!” she ends up lying. Katie walks off and doesn’t spare him a glance. Her voice hiccups with a sob, betraying how much she _does_ want to go watch the shower, how her heart rots from yelling at her family. She runs to the cabin to escape the increasingly annoying mosquitoes and from her family’s surely crushed faces. 

Still starving, she opens the fridge. Her choices are ketchup packets or water. Katie chooses the bottle of water and stubbornly hopes she can sleep through the hunger.

Downing the water, she seals herself in her room and then burrows into the blankets and prays morning and breakfast come quickly. 

And that it will be better than today. 

~~~~~~~~

The unpleasant sensation of needing to release her bladder wakes Katie abruptly. She’s aware enough on the way out of her room to comprehend the bright red digits of the alarm clock that reads three o’clock in the morning. She already hates that her brain isn’t tired at all. She fell asleep so early in the evening that there is no way she’ll be tired enough to go back to sleep and she’ll be miserable and tired all day while her family is rested and having fun and she won’t be able to enjoy any of it.

While the rest of her family sleeps, Katie pads through the kitchen as fast as she can, desperate to get to the accursed outhouse around the back of the cabin. This place has every other comfort of home, including a functioning kitchen, but has an outhouse for a more _authentic_ camping experience, one more gripe Katie has against the universe this weekend.

A plate on the table catches her wide-awake eyes. Under saran wrap is a cooled s’more and a note saying that there are cold, but cooked, hot dogs in the fridge and that they love her very much.

The s’more is a little salty from her tears as she wolfs it down. All of the bad, awful feelings from the previous day melt away as her stomach is at least partially filled. This is normal. Katie is never truly mad at her family for long, nor are they of her, but at the offering of food her heart already feels healed. 

Her bladder thanks her minutes later as she lathers her hands with sanitizer. 

Katie steps out into the night and takes a deep breath. The sky is beautiful out here. Without the light pollution from the Garrison, Katie can see the full splendor of the Milky Way. 

Katie leans her back heavily against the wooden logs of the cabin, taking in the sight. The beauty is calming and grounding. She’ll apologize for her outburst in the morning. Her family doesn’t deserve that and she desperately wants to salvage this weekend. 

Her heart aches already for Matt and her father. 

A bright light winks in the sky - too bright for a star. Katie perks up in earnest. As cool as by telescope would have been, at least she can catch the meteor shower. 

Except this meteor keeps getting bigger and Katie can soon pick out a fiery tail. 

“It’s going to be a meteorite!” she exclaims to herself. 

Closer and closer it comes and to Katie’s astonishment, crashes into the woods near the cabin. 

It’s after a moment of shock that Katie’s grin returns. Today may not totally suck after all.

~~~~~~~~~~

Branches catch Katie’s ponytail as she runs, jogs, and hastily walks towards the crash. Curiosity builds over her lingering hunger as she wonders what she’ll find. 

Katie shields her face with an arm as hot air whips her way. Fire from the impact keeps the bugs at bay upon reaching the edge of the treeline. It lights her path just enough to see…

Not a meteor. 

At the center of a ring of flattened trees is unmistakably a spaceship.

Not a Garrison spaceship, though, not one Katie recognizes at least. 

A hydraulic hiss directs Katie’s attention to an opening hatch along the side. Long, slender arms emerge and grip the outside of the ship. A tall - very tall - body suited in dark armor follows and exits the ship in a coughing fit, dropping to their knees and gasping for breath.

She observes perky ears on the top of his head that aren’t human. The skin is purple, attached to a very tall, lanky body that is undeniably _alien_ . Katie’s mind works overtime thinking of any human explanation. She supposes the alien features can be prosthetics, but it’s difficult to explain why the Garrison would send up an astroexplorer dressed like _this_.

Katie gulps as the alien continues to cough - surely from the smoke, meaning they are carbon-based, same as humans. They need help. As jealous as Matt will be - and she hates that he isn’t here if this is truly an alien as it seems - they need her help _now_. 

Without regard for her own safety, Katie rushes towards the wreckage. Though the flames are uncomfortably close and the heat burns at her skin, she firmly grasps hold of one of the alien’s arms and pulls. 

An indignant male voice retorts, “Let go of me, you wretched—“ 

No sooner than Katie has dragged him - and she’s sure only because she caught him by surprise with how firm and big his muscles are - to the edge of the clearing, then the area around the ship explodes in an angry fireball.

Katie looks up to the alien’s astonished face. She hardly has time to register her own shock that they can speak the same language but his amazement is blazed into her mind. 

“You...saved me?” The alien says incredulously, slowly lowering his gaze in her direction. 

Katie nods dumbly. “You’re an alien.” 

Of all the _dumb_ things to say for first contact and she picks the obvious - way to go Holt!

Though the alien doesn’t seem to mind. He examines her up and down, with a tense face she can’t quite decipher. “ _Why_ would you save me?”

Katie flounders, mouth gaping like a fish. “B-because it’s the right thing to do,” she finds herself saying. Too quickly she finds herself wondering why he might say that. Is he used to not being welcome? Did something happen in his past to make him lose his faith in the good of the universe?

“Even though I’m Galra?” he presses. His voice is less desperate and surprised, and more in a manner that strikes Katie as very professional - as if he were a scholar interviewing her for research. 

Curious. Just like her! Realizing this, it's all too easy for the light switch to flip on in her mind, from dumbfounded to excited. The tentative frown she wears turns into a wide grin. “Galra? Is that the name of your people?” Perhaps it was her first thought, his people may be under unjust persecution. Well, she’s about to flip the script on him; show him humans can welcome with open arms. He’s so lucky he met her first and not one of those awful kids from her class. “I’m human, that’s what we call ourselves on Earth! It’s...so cool to meet you! My name is Katie Holt!”

Some kind of understanding seems to dawn on the alien. His confused features slowly morph into wide eyes and an open mouth, which finally turns into a grin... though, for a half second, it feels less like a happy smile and more... 

Sinister. 

Surely she mistakes it. 

“Katie Holt,” the alien says slowly, as if testing her name. “It seems I am indebted to you. Give me time to repair my ship and I’ll be sure to find you a suitable reward.”

“I can help!” Katie volunteers excitedly. The confidence in which he speaks of repairing his ship makes her believe it despite the fact that it continues to smolder in a blaze. The prospect of tinkering with an honest to goodness alien ship sends tingles of joyful anticipation through her body. Also, the longer this alien is here the more time she has to introduce her family. “My dad builds spaceships and Matt is going to blow his mind when he meets you!”

The alien brings a long slender finger over his sly, smiling lips. “Best to keep this between the two of us for now. So I can concentrate on the repairs.”

Katie can’t fake the disappointment over having to keep a secret from her family, but Haxus is a guest, she supposes, and in a very precarious position being stranded on a planet far from home. “Of course! I’m sorry!” She apologizes. “I can still get you things! Dad has a lab at the cabin! If we have it I’ll bring it!”

The alien’s smile turns more wicked, but she dismisses it quickly at his praise. “I like you, girl. I’ll need metal that can withstand space flight. And something to weld it together, as well as sturdy wiring.”

Katie’s heart soars at the realization that she’ll actually be able to help. “We have stuff like that!” This alien needs her and Matt’s old science projects far more than they do, and if she were able to tell Matt, she’s sure he’d approve. She backs up to the tree line. “I’ll be back first thing after dawn!” She turns, walks a few steps and remembers, turning around “and I’ll bring some food!” She turns again, makes a few steps before stopping and turning again. “What can I call you?” She asks, brimming with curiosity. 

The fire in the background makes an ominous glow around the tall alien. “Haxus,” he offers, still grinning. “Remember it well.”

Katie joyfully promises to do so before heading back to the cabin with a skip in her step. While the day started out horrible, it might have just become the best in her entire life.

~~~~~~~~

“Thanks for breakfast, I’m gonna go exploring!” 

Katie is up from the picnic table and halfway to putting her dishes away before her mother intervenes, only a few bites into her own cereal. 

“Did you eat or inhale it?” her mother chides as she cuts a piece of watermelon for lunch later. “Drink some water, Katie.”

“I’ll fill a couple bottles to take with me!” she promises. And give one to Haxus, surely he’s thirsty by now. 

“Be careful,” her father adds. “The park rangers are looking into that fire from last night. Let them do their job.”

All the better to leave now to warn Haxus. 

Matt meets her at the door, on his way in with his own dirty dishes. “Sorry about last night,” he starts with a hopeful smile. “I’ll make it up to you. Mind a partner for exploring this afternoon?”

It feels as though her brain comes to a standstill. Haxus had enjoyed her company earlier this morning but she promised not to tell her family. As much as she wants to, this is first contact! Katie Holt is Earth’s representative to the universe right now! If attending formal events with her father has taught her anything, it is to treat guests with respect. And not only is Haxus a guest, but one in need. 

Matt will totally forgive her later. 

“I’m sorry about last night too. You didn’t do anything wrong. But,” Katie says. It feels like a punch to the gut to turn her brother down, and just strange to say it. Especially when he’s about to leave for a year! But...with Haxus here, the Garrison will probably cancel the Kerberos mission, leaving all the time in the world for her and Matt to hang out. “I’d kinda like to go out myself.”

As if the wind were knocked out of him, Matt frowns. “Oh,” he says disappointingly. “Well, the meteor shower is still on for tonight. I’ll make it up to you then, okay?” He adds more hopefully. 

Katie fakes a smile. More than anything she _does_ want to spend time with her brother, to soak in the knowledge he has to impart from his classes at the Garrison. If she says no to her brother, it will be suspicious... 

“I’ll be there,” she promises. Haxus needs her help now. There will be plenty of time to hang out with

~~~~~~

When Katie arrives at the crash site for the fourth time already this morning, Haxus is so far along in repairs! No longer is the hull a mangled heap of metal, but it looks like an actual ship. The burnt magenta and grey fits strangely with the Earthly light grey and Katie can’t help but chuckle as the mishmash reminds her of the creation of Frankenstein’s monster. Of course, there is only so much one can say about structural integrity from a distance, but Katie has seen so many spaceships and spaceship blueprints in her short life that she knows it's good at a glance.

It’s amazing, honestly, that just a few hours ago it seemed unsalvageable. She wants to know how so badly, but there are more important things to discuss first.

She steadies herself against the nearest tree while hopping over the felled birch. “I’m back!” she announces. “You need to find a place to hide, the park rangers are going to be coming to check out the crash.”

Haxus keeps his back to her, fiddling with wires under the ship’s hull. “They have been dealt with,” he replies absentmindedly. 

Katie frowns. He says it as if it were hardly a bother to him, even though earlier in the morning he’d been quick to ask for secrecy. It’s as if he’d done this before. Her knees shake and her nerves tingle with a sense of wrongness. She doesn’t regret saving him, but the uneasy energy he emits in the air around him makes Katie start to wonder if maybe she shouldn’t be here alone. 

What did dealing with them mean?

She must be gawking in her own mind because in a blink, Haxus has momentarily paused his work to turn to her with a strange smile. “Nothing for you to worry about. I have ways to conceal myself and my ship.”

It is as if the clouds in her mind have broken, crepuscular rays bordering the brilliant rainbow on the backside of the storm. Katie berates herself for thinking the worst only for a moment, because what Haxus implies is far more exciting.

"You have cloaking?" Katie all but squeals, bounding over to her new alien friend with barely contained thrill. "That is amazing!" she says as she kneels on the ground next to him. The inner workings of the ship aren't so strange; alien wires and human wires look awfully similar. For them to have regenerated in such a short amount of time since the crash is an engineering feat that her father will surely be jealous over. "You _have_ to show me how it works! And how you’re able to fix the ship so fast!"

Haxus blinks, staring at her with an utterly confused expression. Katie stares back in kind, uncomfortable and unsure what taboo she’s committed that he doesn’t know how to respond to her.

It is a low hum slowly increasing in pitch that snaps her, and Haxus, back to reality. If possible, he looks even _more_ confused as he digs through scrap parts to find a small, grey device with a blinking green light on the shortest end, the receiver curved to point towards Katie. 

Katie gulps, passingly wondering if this device is some sort of annoyance detector (like her teacher this year seems to have built in whenever Katie speaks). Where are her manners?

"I'm sorry," she bows slightly in apology. Katie isn't sure if she imagines it, but as Haxus' throat vibrates, there's a soft rumble not unlike the purr of a cat. "You don't have to show me anything. I just... I love seeing how things work and this is so much more advanced than anything we have here on Earth--"

"Say no more," Haxus interrupts with a pleased - or at least what Katie hopes is pleased - inflection. There’s a glint in his eyes from which Katie can almost see the wheels in his mind turning. "Unfortunately there was only enough power to cloak once. I'll need that power source you promised to show you properly, and also to leave the atmosphere."

Katie frowns, her mood suddenly sour. "Leaving so soon? But you're the first alien to be on Earth! We can learn so much!"

"I am hardly here by choice," Haxus says in exasperation. He sets the device down and returns to his chore. "Your near space is cluttered with satellites, it was as if I were back in flight school all over again, weaving in and out among them."

Katie chuckles nervously. He did have a point. "Sorry about that."

"And I have people who are awaiting my return," he continues without sparing her another glance. Haxus presses the end of two frayed wires together. As if by magic, a purple, liquid-like substance filters from a cut on his finger and onto the wires. Katie gasps a moment later as the substance dissipates and in its place is one fully functioning wire.

"How did you..." Katie gapes uselessly.

"Quintessence is the lifeblood of all things in the universe-even here on Earth," Haxus explains as if spouting from a textbook. "I have more than the average amount running through my veins."

"But this is technology!" Katie exclaims, feeling as though her brain is about to break. Everything about her knowledge of science fails her seeing such an organic compound heal a piece of technology.

Haxus grunts, but smiles. "Your enthusiasm is most amusing, Child."

Katie can't help but wince as Haxus places a hand on her head and pats. His skin doesn't feel that much different from her own, but for just a moment as he lingers the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end at his sharp claws. It is only after he pulls away that she pouts. "I'm not a child, I'm a teenager." Katie is thirteen years old and she will take it for all its worth. "And I told you my name is Katie."

"You are a child," he says more humorously this time, which Katie leans back with a frump at. She’s old enough to be the first human to meet an alien! Haxus connects two more wires, distracted as he continues, "I will make an effort to remember your name."

Katie nods curtly, satisfied she has gotten her point across. She shifts to a more comfortable sitting position, crossing her legs and leaning forward. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," Haxus responds immediately. He wipes his brow and closes the hull. "I must repair the inside so that I can report my position.” He stands. “What I need from you is that battery."

Katie follows Haxus as he enters the ship. It's a mess, with purple - it must be his people's favorite color - goop covering what looks like a communications station. In fact, the layout is rather similar to the shuttles the Galaxy Garrison uses for trips to the moon and the one they use for the pilot simulator. The same vessel Katie hopes she'll be flying in just a couple short years.

Haxus peels off to the left though, towards the pilot's chair.

"I know, I couldn't find it before my family woke up," Katie apologizes. "I'll ask Dad where he's storing them. If anything out here is going to give you power, it’s going to be one of Dad's inventions."

"Good, see to that." And then he kneels to access the panels under the throttle, back to work.

Katie fiddles with her long shirt. "Is there anything else? I can't get that until after lunch so..."

Haxus gives her a look she can't quite comprehend. It's curious, with a hint of surprise. "You are rather eager to be involved, aren't you?"

"I do want to help any way I can!" Katie insists. "If I were stuck all alone on an alien planet, I'd take help from nice locals." With a deep breath to calm her nerves, Katie continues, twiddling her necklace, adding hopefully, "A-and I'd want to learn as much about them as I could. Especially if... if they wanted to be friends."

He stares at her - longer this time - with a nearly incredulous look on his face. Katie wonders if she's said too much or been too forward. But nearly as soon as she thinks so, Haxus nods, as if he's come to a decision.

"You're curious about the inner workings of a Galra scouting ship," he states. "Then come here.”

Katie all but runs towards him, practically sliding to her knees at his side. When seated, Haxus hands her two frayed wires that connect from somewhere underneath the cockpit’s console. 

“Connect them,” he encourages, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

With barely contained squeals at being able to help with the repairs, Katie presses the two frayed ends together. Rather than the purple when Haxus did it, the ends glow green for just a moment. As the light fades, the wires are fully connected. Katie tests by tugging the wire in opposite directions, but it holds fast. “Amazing,” she whispers. “It’s like magic.”

“Some _do_ call it that,” Haxus chuckles, then continues more thoughtfully, “You have a fair amount of quintessence in you.”

Katie furrows her brows, chewing the inside of her lip in thought. The concept that there are elements in the universe unknown to humanity isn’t a surprise, her father often lauds the mysteries of the universe as something exciting to look forward to, and why space is so appealing for many. It’s the fact that the element is inside _her_ and looks so much like magic. Is this where the inspiration for mages and wizards come from? Is it simply something humanity lost over the millennia? “Is that a good thing?” she wonders aloud.

“You were able to repair part of my ship,” he responds without answering the question. Though Katie hardly cares. Everything is all so new and fascinating. 

“Can you teach me more?” she asks hopefully.

Haxus chuckles in bemusement. “It would take a lifetime to show you all of what Galra technology has to offer.”

“I’m willing!” she insists. Just by virtue of being the person to make first contact, studying Galra technology may very well become her life’s work.

He studies her for a long moment, and Katie matches his gaze, determined to make him see how serious she is. After too long for her liking, he concedes. “If that is what you want, I believe I can find uses for you.”

Katie listens with rapt attention as Haxus works under the console, explaining what each part means and how it contributes to the function of the ship, unable to wipe the wide smile off her face. She has a million questions about the Galra people and what else she can help with, but for now she can show her seriousness by learning what he has to tell her.

Minutes - hours pass by.

"Battlecruisers function on the same principle," Haxus continues his lecture. He sits in the pilot’s seat now, testing the functionality of the buttons and knobs on the console.

"It's like Beto's Theory," Katie supplies from the co-pilot’s seat. "We know that the j variable is there because of the math, but no one has been able to make an actual working ship of it! The curve is exponential."

"Not as exponential as you think," Haxus purrs - yes he definitely purred. It’s cute, despite his fearsome exterior. There's an air of pride as he pulls up the math on Beto's Theory on a holographic heads up display. The underside of the console is long fixed, but for the last little while, Haxus has slowed his repairs and taken the time to _talk._ Katie is so giddy she can hardly sit still at the honor, that he would take time to impart his knowledge when he was so clearly ready to go home earlier that morning. "You aren't thinking large enough."

He touches the HUD - touches it! A tangible hologram! And the inside of the cockpit lights up in purples and pinks all around them as if they were in a planetarium. Katie looks in awe and reaches out, touching the solid surface with her own fingers. Sure enough, the energy required is a number so big that it’s hard to believe that any energy source is enough to lift this little ship.

"And just a tiny little battery will do it?"

Haxus turns off the display. "Quintessence will do the rest. It is an extremely potent energy source. It never decays and it is in abundance across the universe."

"That's amazing! It's almost..." _too good to be true._

But the words remain inside.

"I have delayed enough," Haxus says as he looks out beyond the dashboard at the sun shining through the canopy. It’s almost noon now and her family will be making lunch. "I must leave tonight and there is much yet to be done."

His words bring her soul crashing back to Earth. Tonight she promised Matt they'd view the meteor shower together.

That just means she'll have to work quickly to see Haxus home first.

Her stomach rumbles. Lunch first.

~~~~~~~

Sam Holt blinks twice, attention stolen from his book. "From the old generator tests?"

"Yes," Katie confirms. "I've been running some experiments with the weather radio."

Sam hums as he marks his page. "I do remember that old thing lasting the longest. A pity they didn't work with the new propulsion system. I think they're in a plastic tub in the basement. You'll have to clean and reconnect them before use, though. Safety first," he winks.

Katie winks back. "Always, Dad."

~~~~~

"Pass me the scope."

Katie fumbles through the bag of alien tools and picks out what she thinks looks like an alien scope. She places it in Haxus' outstretched hand.

The two of them avoid the heat of the day by working on the inside of the ship. Haxus isn't smiling and he doesn't stop for much, but he doesn't rush either. Katie supposes he is on track.

Haxus hums. "Well done. You learn quickly.” He turns his attention back to the mechanics, “I never did tell you what it looked like."

Katie preens. "You were using it before lunch on the same kind of tech - wasn't hard to figure out."

"Cleverness is useful when applied in the right situations," Haxus says as he continues his work. "Are all Earthlings as clever as you?"

Katie rolls her eyes. "There are plenty of smart people at the Garrison, and Mom, Dad, and Matt are all geniuses too. Mostly not, though." Her mood sours, remembering her classmates’ often unkind words about her brain. "A lot of people don't appreciate it until you're an adult. They just bully you otherwise. But! Don't let it turn you off of coming back and sharing your knowledge!"

Haxus chuckles. "Despite being stranded here, I've come to enjoy the company. I will most certainly come back."

It hurts almost, to smile as wide as Katie is at the moment. Haxus will come back with a whole diplomatic contingent and their scientists will show the ones at the Garrison how to travel past the Milky Way. And one day she'll be a pilot using that technology to explore worlds both like and unlike Earth.

Katie wants to know everything.

She hears a purr, low and clear this time, as if a large cat were lying next to her. Haxus' purrs are fascinating, but she hasn't quite gotten the courage to ask about them yet.

But Haxus' throat makes no visible vibration other than breathing. 

Must be just in her head.

Katie leans up against a wall, making herself comfortable as she watches him work. "So...what brought you to Earth in the first place?"

"I thought I told you, it was your infernal satellites that crashed into me."

"Right, I mean, what brought you to this part of the universe?"

Haxus is quiet for a moment, pausing his work as if debating. He stares at her, his yellow eyes calculating his answer. "I am looking for something."

"Here? On Earth?" Katie feels herself getting bouncy again in anticipation of knowing. Earth has something that aliens might want?

"I am looking for a Lion," Haxus says. Though that is the end of his answer, he does not go back to work, instead continues to observe her.

Katie can't help but laugh. "We have plenty of lions," she chuckles teasingly. "But you're on the wrong landmass to find them."

Haxus growls, flopping onto his back agitatedly and goes back to work under the engine. "I do not speak of the animal. This is a ship."

Katie laughs again. "A lion spaceship? Really? It's not exactly the optimal shape to break the atmosphere."

Strange that Haxus brings up a lion spaceship when she'd just been thinking of a large cat next to her. Katie wonders if the Galra have psychic abilities or something to share brainwaves.

But Haxus isn't laughing. "The Lions of Voltron are the most powerful weapons in the universe. That is why I seek them.” He turns something like a wrench. “But the device I made to locate them is broken and I must return to my post to repair it.” He blindly searches and locates the device from earlier that day, the one that blinks green and the receiver turns towards her. Haxus pushes it her way. “See? It points to you.”

Voltron, she ponders as she holds the device gently in her hands, the receiver vibrates, never wavering while pointing towards her. The name tingles with familiarity, though Katie has no idea why. She's never heard the word before, at least not as far back as she can remember. But at the same time, it strikes at her with power, pokes at her with curiosity, and comforts her like an old friend.

So it goes to the back of her mind, filed away with other interesting anecdotes from her time with Haxus.

"I've never heard of it," she says truthfully, setting the device down on the floor of the ship. It continues to point towards her. "And I know everything about spaceships,” she brags. “My dad builds them and I've read all the pilot manuals."

"Oh?” he wonders as he drives something like a screwdriver among the wiring. “And you wish to be a pilot?"

This is a much better topic than humanity's intellect and weird lion ships. Excitement bubbles up quickly because he’s asking _her_ questions. He _wants_ to get to know her. "I do!" 

"Pilots in Galra culture are warriors,” he explains offhandedly. “But wouldn’t you want to be a scientist? Show the world that your intellect isn't to be scoffed at?"

For a moment Katie feels pride, delighted Haxus is on her side. "I mean that would be pretty cool" she admits before passion takes over, heart thumping in the rush of talking. "But I really want to fly. Since machines can’t talk to us directly, using them is the best way to find out _how_ they want to be used. I can speak engineer, ‘cause my Dad is one, and I can tell them what the ship wants. Besides, one of us Holts has to be a pilot if we’re all going to explore space together one day."

Haxus hums, paused in his work to observe her. "I see,” he says almost carefully, as if making up his mind. “Perhaps once repairs are complete, I’ll take you to space."

Katie isn't sure if she can ever stop smiling. "Really? You'd do that?" a moment of fear takes over her heart. "But aren't you in a hurry to get home? A-and I promised Matt I'd be back to watch the meteor shower with him."

"Oh," Haxus smiles mysteriously. "I don't believe it would take any time at all to take you with me. Help such as yours deserves a reward.”

“That would be amazing!” Katie exclaims. Yes, Matt will be jealous when he eventually finds out, but Haxus is her friend and Matt will get to go to space in due time, even if the Kerberos mission is put on hold. This is her turn to have an amazing space adventure years before anyone on Earth will let her. “Thank you!”

~~~~~~~

Katie finds the batteries shortly before supper. She then inhales her peanut butter sandwich and downs her water before asking to be excused.

“Dusk is in two hours,” Matt says with worry. “Remember you promised.”

“I’ll be back, don’t worry!” Katie responds brightly. “I’m nearly done and I can’t work in the dark anyway. I can’t wait to show you all.” She exits and rounds to the front of the house where she’s left the shoebox sized container full of batteries.

“She’s going to miss you,” Katie hears her mother say as she passes under the kitchen window. “She’s just struggling with that right now.” It’s the same comforting tone she uses to soothe Katie after a bad day at school. It gives Katie pause, leaning against the wooden exterior of the cabin.

“I’m her big brother,” Matt says dejectedly. There is the high pitched squeal of a chair sliding on the wood floor and Katie can hear her brother slump into it. “I’m supposed to be showing her the ropes, _being_ there for her. And here I’m going off into space for a whole year.”

A twinge of regret cuts through her heart. Matt isn’t just her brother, he’s her _best_ friend. More than anything she wants him to be proud of her, so to hear that he’s so sad about her hurts. 

“She’s growing up,” her mother assures him, “just like you. I’m proud of you both, and I know for a fact that Katie is proud of you too.”

“I know,” Matt whines, “but she’ll always be my little sister and I want to be there for her, no matter how much she grows up.”

Katie’s mouth twitches into a smile as her heart beats with warmth. Just as soon as she sees Haxus on his way she swears is going to spend all night with her brother watching the stars. 

~~~~~~

The only evidence that a crash even occurred here is the downed trees. The ship itself, miraculously, looks brand new even with the amalgamation of alien and Earth materials. Katie’s sneakers clatter and crunch amid small rocks and stray twigs as she inches slowly forward. Last night she hadn’t the opportunity, but now she can look in awe at the technology that brought Haxus to Earth. 

Before her is an alien ship in all its glory, sleek and aerodynamic just like the fighter jets her father works with.

“Right on time, Child.” Haxus appears from inside and settles against the bay door. “Thanks to your assistance, the repairs should be just enough to reach the fleet.”

“My name is _Katie_ ,” she absentmindedly insists. Her mind is elsewhere, unable to stop herself from grinning as pride swells in her heart. A brief daydream treats her to a vision of being the human ambassador to the Galra homeworld, both learning about their technology and sharing Earth insights culminating in some grand discovery to the benefit of the universe. No more will those middle school bullies call her a nerd with such disdain. Matt will be so excited and her parents so proud of the opportunities for friendship and collaboration she’s about to open up just as soon as Haxus returns with the rest of his people. 

“Are you ready to go?” Haxus says as he stands and gestures inside.

“Am I ever!” Katie rushes forward and places a hand on the doorframe of the ship. 

The moment she puts one foot inside, the same low purr she heard earlier rumbles through her body, so sudden that it gives her pause. Katie looks over her shoulder, searching for the animal that made such a noise. 

“Hurry,” Haxus snaps, then more amiable, “it is a long way home.”

At Haxus’ prompt, Katie hops into the ship, already feeling bad for delaying him with her sightseeing tour. “Sorry, I’m ready.” Practically skipping past Haxus, nervous energy surges through her body. In a matter of minutes her lifelong dream of going into space will be a reality. The experience will prepare her for when she goes up as a proper pilot with her family in tow. “Let’s go so I can be back in time to watch the meteor shower with Matt.”

Time seems to pass slowly as Haxus presses a long finger over a red button on the wall panel near the door. “Indeed,” he says evenly. “I’ll be relieved once we clear the atmosphere.”

The threshold disappears as the bay doors clank shut with a hydraulic hiss. 

Katie frowns for the first time. A strange feeling pools in her gut as she stands limply near the communication station. Haxus makes his way to the pilot’s seat, but Katie stares at the door, or rather, the lack of one. Now sealed, she can’t even tell there used to be a door there.

There’s nowhere to go, she realizes. 

She’s thrown from those distressing thoughts with an interrupting cough. Haxus sits in the pilot’s chair, turned around towards her. He gestures to the co-pilot’s seat. “My gift of thanks for your assistance.”

Distress is forgotten. Katie squeals with delight and all but leaps into the chair. Before her, the console lights up in shades of pink and purple. The ship rumbles and begins to lift over the treetops. The engine strains, making an uneven, puttering, noise like an old pick up truck, but continues to lift them.

“The batteries are working!” she exclaims, looking up at Haxus in excitement. She wants to see his look of approval. 

Instead, Haxus scowls, hands stiff on the throttle and two pronged steering wheel. “It isn’t enough,” his voice strains. “This ship won’t break the atmosphere.”

Katie’s heart drops. They’re too high up now. Another crash and Haxus will have to spend yet another day for repairs. Tomorrow Katie and her family leave to go back home on Garrison grounds. “What can I do?” she asks urgently.

Haxus considers her carefully, for longer than she thinks he should in their precarious situation. “Place your hand on the console. Your quintessence will have to be enough.”

“My quintessence…” she says thoughtfully, staring at the palms of her hands. Haxus had said _all_ living things had it, and she’s used some of it already. Well, anything to get him home. Anything to see the stars. And, well, this far off the ground, her life depends on it too. “Okay,” she says resolutely, firmly placing her hands upon the console. 

Instantly, the area around her hand pulses not purple or pink, but _green_. Then, like a crashing wave, all of the lights starting from the front turn the same shade. The engine revs into a steady hum like a brand new car. The engines roar and in moments, cirrus clouds pass them by and actual satellites are in view from the window - so close Katie can almost touch them. 

Haxus maneuvers the ship around them like he’s been piloting for decades.

“Wow,” she breathes, smiling softly, slumping back into her seat. The green lights around her dim to a purple hue. All of a sudden, her eyes are heavy. She forces them to stay open, because never has she seen the Milky Way so pure. She wraps her fingers around the star pendant of her necklace. She’s finally here. “It’s beautiful.”

And then, Katie gets to see Earth from orbit. “This is amazing,” she says softly. Tears of joy reflect the strange pain in her heart, so overcome with this being real. It is as if her heart could explode. She turns to Haxus. “Thank you for taking me up here. Dad was right, it really is the best view.”

Katie closes her eyes for a long moment. Just a quick rest after her initial view.

“Quintessence depletion can make you quite tired,” Haxus explains as if he can read her mind - or body in this case. “Take a nap,” he says invitingly. “I will wake you later.” 

“I have to meet Matt in an hour,” Katie says insistently as she slips away, struggling to keep her eyes open. “I’m in space. I want to see…”

“Shhh...sleep, Child,” he encourages. It sounds as if a lullaby to Katie’s drained body.

Her mind doesn’t have the energy to argue.


	2. Up a Creek without a Paddle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Careful about three hour tours. Might get stranded on a tropical island. Or a Galra warship.

_ “Understood. I look forward to having you back on the bridge, Haxus. Vrepit Sa.” _

Katie groans, mind in a fog. Her body is comfortable, slumped into a chair. But her neck hurts, bent from a long, awkward sleep. It is the only reason she lethargically moves upright and forces herself to open her eyes that seem as though they are glued shut. 

“Vrepit Sa.” 

Through Katie’s blurry, sleepy vision, an image of another Galra, this one furrier and with a mechanical eye and arm, dissipates instantaneously. In its place is a view of outer space. Stars shine in the distance amid the blanket of black. Though, something doesn’t quite seem right.

A split second later Katie realizes why. There’s a gorgeous multi-colored nebula near the bottom right of the screen-shield. In the center, and much closer, a rocky planet that looks nothing like the ones she is familiar with. Both are just as clear as if she were seeing it through the eyes of a space telescope. She shouldn’t be seeing them like this so close to Earth.

Which means they aren’t close to Earth.

“W-what time is it?” Katie asks with a voice cracked from dryness, because she doesn’t want to ask the other question yet. The question of where.

Haxus’s face is neutral. He opens a head’s up display that looks like a clock, though the symbols are strange to her. “You have been sleeping for roughly three varga,” he explains. 

Mind still feeling slow, she repeats, “Three…” Katie isn’t sure if varga are minutes, hours, or  _ days _ . Her stomach tells her it's likely not days, but if it's hours, her family is missing her. She is late meeting Matt. “I need to go home,” she forces a smile that for some reason she isn’t feeling. “I’ll join you again sometime after you come back to talk about an alliance with Earth,” she finishes spritely.

Haxus bursts out laughing, stunning Katie to silence. 

It lingers uncomfortably long, plenty of time for the pit in Katie’s heart to sink to the bottom of her stomach, anchored with dread.

“You’re as humorous as you are fascinating,” he finally says boisterously, with a much more dangerous edge to his voice. The hairs on her arms prickle, his fangs suddenly seeming much sharper than they had before. 

Katie trembles and opens her mouth, but sound seems to fail her. Doubling her efforts, she asks quietly - fearfully, “Where are we?” 

As if nothing were wrong, Haxus pulls up another heads up display with written information that Katie assumes is the Galra language. “It looks like we are in the Arcturian System. In roughly another varga we will rendezvous with Commander Sendak’s flagship. I have been away from my post for too long.”

Heavy dread pushes up and ensnares her heart. Little bit by little bit, it squeezes out that joyful optimism she’d had when she first met Haxus the other night. The exhilaration over being further in space than any human has ever been is suddenly at the very back of her mind. Right now, the only thing she wants or cares about is her family.

“I want to go home,” she reiterates firmly, though her voice betrays a growing fear. 

Haxus never said he’d take her home. 

“I think you’ll find the accommodations on the battlecruiser home enough,” he says without a hint of remorse. “There isn’t much in the way of entertainment for children, but there will be plenty of technical manuals and historical documents to keep your curiosity sated.”

“I  _ need  _ to go home,” Katie says again, this time with a bit of anger at his flippant response, at not being listened to - at the  _ implication _ of his words. She’d thought she would finally leave this belittling behind once her teachers learned she made friends with an alien.

But Katie is quickly realizing that Haxus is not a friend and he never considered her one. Not with the way he sneers in superiority at her, the same look on those bullies’ faces as they are about to deliver the punchline - nerd, weirdo,  _ freak _ . 

“You may see Earth again one day,” he says as if enjoying a private joke. “I’ll need to repair my equipment to look for the Voltron Lions first. But from now on, you’d do well to consider the Empire your new home.”

The Empire. Not an alliance or confederation - an empire. One with soldiers who have no qualms about abducting alien children. 

Her. Katie is the alien here.

Anger bubbles to the surface, replacing all the fear and worry.

“Take me home!” Katie demands as she stands up, glaring daggers at Haxus. 

“No,” he says, casually challenging her tone with that awful smug smile. “Sit down, Child.”

There is her answer, the final confirmation that he intends to kidnap her - has already. Fingers curl into fists, itching to do something. Her eyes scan the small ship, desperate for a means to escape despite being trapped in the middle of nowhere. But, Katie realizes, it is still a ship. And a ship needs a pilot.

Fingers dart to the console, hitting every button, switch, and lever she can get her hands on. The purple button over there was the ignition so maybe…

Nothing happens when she presses it. 

“Galra technology,” Haxus says calmly, humor back in his voice, “can only be used by Galra. It won’t do anything but take your quintessence for fuel.”

“You set me up!” Katie yells, jerking her head towards him, blasting her built up anger and fear at him all at once. Everything from catering to her interest in technology, her desire to be friends, and allowing her to enter the ship of her own free will - all of it was on purpose. All at once she feels betrayed and a fool.

“It was much easier than forcing you,” he confirms nonchalantly, though his grin tells the story of how much he is enjoying this. “And you did say you could spend a lifetime learning about my people and our technology. Now you will.”

Technology she can’t even use. 

Katie wants nothing more than to wipe the grin off his face. “Take me home!” she yells again. If she can't pilot it, she’ll make Haxus do so. 

With as much power as she can unleash, Katie’s left fist flies. As quickly as the adrenaline egged her on, it stops when Haxus easily meets her fist with the palm of his hand. Katie growls and tries again with the right, aiming for his face, but that is also caught. She hisses and digs her sneakers in, willing to knock him back as she strains to push forward.

Haxus never breaks a sweat and casually takes both her hands into his, easily encasing them. “Good help is difficult to come by. Let’s not start out like this.”

The information is almost too much to process. Haxus is not a good person, she knows that now, but her mind scrambles over why he was so patient with her. Surely she hadn’t imagined the sparkle in his eyes as he stopped his repairs and talked for hours with her over his ship’s technology. “W-why?” she settles on through a sob, though her heart threatens to beat out of her chest. “What did I do wrong? I thought…”

“Oh you did nothing wrong,” Haxus assures her far too kindly. “Your enthusiasm is both entertaining and endearing. I’ve been in need of an assistant with some intellect and I believe you will fit the role perfectly.”

Katie feels as though her brain breaks. “A-assistant? You  _ kidnapped _ me,” she manages to say. The word is strange on her tongue, and every moment that ticks after fills her stomach with led that kidnapped is indeed what has happened to her.

“Oh don’t worry,” he smirks, “You’ll have far more comforts working for me than the slaves that fight in the arena.”

Haxus unfurls his hands. As he lets hers free, dark pink and black metal cuffs slide out from under his armor and onto her wrists. Once they shut with a resounding click, a section of them lights up with pink energy and a cord of the same color connects the two. 

Sick to her stomach and terrified, Katie tests the bonds. The tension is real, and if it weren’t being used on her for nefarious purposes, she’d be more excited about how it works. She rubs a finger over the metal in awe to make sure it is real, both the abduction and the technology. In less than a day she’s gone from having supper with her family to being an alien prisoner. The more she tries to tug and pull, the shorter the pink band gets, to the point where she can no longer see it and her wrists are bound tightly together.

“Now that you know your place, it’s time to begin training,” Haxus says sternly. “Sit  _ down _ .”

Katie likes to believe she’s always been a model student, doing as her teacher’s asked - so long as they were teaching science  _ right  _ \- but every fiber of her body, including her heart and mind, take objection to the order as if she were a puppy. She can’t leave the ship. She can’t pilot the ship and she can’t fight Haxus but she can still  _ choose  _ to not listen to him.

“I’m fine standing,” she says, eyes narrowed in challenge. It isn’t as intimidating as she hoped, voice trembling with a sob. Though her heart and mind are prideful, her stomach clenches as Haxus takes on a more annoyed look. 

“I’ll warn you once,” Haxus says. “Your behavior is directly related to your treatment. Follow my orders and you will be rewarded. Do not follow my orders and you will be punished.”

The prospect of being punished in ways she can barely imagine sends chills down Katie’s spine, but she doesn’t let it dwell. Haxus’  _ betrayal  _ is what is at the forefront of her mind. “How is this a reward?” she spits through angry tears, gesturing awkwardly around the ship. “I  _ helped  _ you - your ship…” for once in her life Katie struggles to find the words as she melts with the realization that her good deed led to  _ this _ . “Your ship was going to explode! I--!”

Katie stiffens with a sharp inhale as Haxus bends down to pat her on the head. 

“And I  _ have _ ,” he says a bit too sweetly. Like he was speaking to a beloved child. Or, Katie swallows deeply, slimy sickness twisting in her stomach, like a pet. “When the Empire comes to conquer your planet, you will be safe at my side. And perhaps if you are exceptionally helpful, maybe even your family too.” He stands to full height, his looming presence no longer bringing the excitement and hope it used to. “Consider it an honor to be the first of your species to come into the Empire’s fold.”

Katie’s head spins at the influx of new information and emotions. How naive is she to have misjudged so poorly that now she is subject to the whims of an evil alien who so casually speaks of conquering entire planets? She hates herself so much, but she forces herself to focus on what is here in front of her. 

“I hate you,” Katie spits out. She will not be a pushover. 

Haxus doesn’t seem surprised or perturbed, simply amused, which serves only to infuriate Katie further over how helpless she is that she can’t even garner a reaction from him. “I am grateful you saved my life, and I will save yours in kind.” He pats her head and finishes darkly, “so long as you follow my command.”

Katie thinks she growls, but the roar of a lion in her mind is what she hears, so loud it covers her own voice. It doesn’t matter that she’s tried to attack Haxus before and failed, she throws her entire body at him.

She helped repair this ship, she can destroy it too.

Whether Haxus expected her retaliation or not, her weight is enough to knock him back and in turn ram against the already barely functional console. It crackles with a magenta electricity as Haxus pulls her off of him.

“What have you done?” he demands, the most panicked she’s ever seen him.

Serves him right. 

A moment later, the ship banks and Katie is thrown to the floor. Perhaps disabling the ship that is keeping her alive as well  _ wasn't _ the best option in hindsight. 

Katie wraps her hands as best she can around a pipe and braces for impact on the planet as Haxus furiously tries to get the ship to steady. Katie squints her eyes shut moments before impact…

With a jolt, Katie is shaken from her spot. She screams as she slides violently across the floor, breath knocked out as her back rams into the pilot’s chair. 

The ship powers down. Then all is silent. For several long moments, all Katie has is the sound of her heavy breathing. She takes a shuddering inhale before opening her eyes. Even though they’ve crashed, she has to take this for a win. Anything to foil Haxus’ plans. 

“I sincerely hope,” Haxus begins in a low, dangerous voice. “That actions such as this do not become a habit.”

Katie opens her eyes. Haxus has a claw on the seat and is slowly getting up. He grips his side. An injury! Katie wracks her brain thinking of how she can take advantage of this, but her brain is jostled around like goo in her skull. 

Rather than direct his anger at her, Haxus slams his fists on the console, which crackles, followed by a small explosion.

“I won’t let you get what you want,” Katie tells him bravely, even though her hands shake. She tries to stand, but her back disapproves as she freezes from the sharp pain.

“You are either very daring or very stupid to sabotage a ship that you are also a passenger of,” Haxus seethes as he lifts her up suddenly by the arms, no indication in his face or body language that he is really, truly injured after all. She yelps in pain as his grip pinches her nerves. Katie expects him to hurt her, really hurt her, and she looks away in fear. Instead, he chuckles. Katie dares to look at his smile as he unhands her. Katie wobbles, unbalanced as her feet hit the floor. “However, it does not matter. Soon--”

The ship shakes again, disrupted by a blast from the outside. 

“Exit the ship slowly, Galra scum!” Demands a booming voice from somewhere outside the ship. Katie grins, her heart doing a flip. Help! Maybe, just maybe they’ll have the heart and means to take her home!

Haxus growls and glares as he stalks past her. “Do not leave this ship,” he orders as he opens the door. 

An order. Which means Katie has no intention to follow it. She grins back, which only seems to make Haxus more annoyed, which in turn makes Katie happy. 

“You can’t boss me around, you’re not my  _ dad _ .” She makes sure to sing the rebellious Earth phrase mockingly. If Haxus would rather be her enemy than a peaceful friend, then so be it. 

Haxus pauses and Katie shivers from the sudden chill in the air, the mood darker. She doesn’t mean to show fear, but her feet take a step back as Haxus turns to face her with a cruel smile. 

“You’re right. I’m not your father.” He steps forward. Katie’s back hits the hull that sends a sharp wave of pain all the way down to her feet, bracing her arms tightly against her chest, heart racing as Haxus looms. “From now on you live to serve me, Commander Sendak, and Emperor Zarkon.” Katie gasps as his hand cups her chin, his claws putting more pressure than is comfortable on her skin, forcing her to look into his cruel yellow eyes. 

Katie really feels like crying. 

She also wants to explode with righteous anger. 

”I hope you die,” she seethes.

Another warning blast rocks the ship. Katie stumbles, but she’s kept in place by Haxus’ grip. She can’t remember the last time she felt more utterly helpless.

Haxus merely keeps his grin, cocky and confident, that fills her with rage. “I will take care of this annoyance and we will continue the journey to Commander Sendak’s battlecruiser.”

Haxus takes care to squeeze her cheeks between his large hand. Katie waits breathlessly before he removes it and walks away. Her knees go weak, her slightly sore back sliding down the wall until she hits the floor as the door closes behind Haxus. 

_ Take care of them. _ Katie feels sick. There is no cloaking. No camouflage. Haxus  _ murdered _ those forest rangers that came to investigate the crash. And then lied to her about it. All to gain her trust so she wouldn’t suspect a thing while going willingly to her own abduction. 

Curling into a ball, Katie clenches her fist, loathing the special attention Haxus is placing on her. It’s worse than the attention given to bullies at school, the teachers who actively ignored her raised hand. But this… this isn’t behavior Katie is used to, even living on the Galaxy Garrison her whole life surrounded by career military. Haxus is leagues different from her father, or Iverson, or Shiro, or even Admiral Sanda. Every tear, every bit of anger from her, he  _ relishes _ in. He takes too much  _ joy _ in her suffering. 

On Earth she’s Commander Holt’s daughter, a genius in her own family, but that means nothing to Haxus. She’s nothing special. Just... _ amusing _ .

Her  _ family _ . Katie tightens her hands into fists of anger and sorrow. Tears prick at her eyes as the realization comes crashing down on her that if she doesn’t manage to escape Haxus, she will never see them again. 

And that tears her heart asunder more than a looming life of servitude. 

Katie bites her lip. She is a Holt. She can do anything she puts her mind to. Right now, that means getting home. 

By any means necessary. 

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Katie rushes to the view shield. Outside, Haxus does battle with other, stranger looking aliens. There’s no one species. Some are bipedal and humanoid, others yet remind her of centaurs, slicing and slashing at Haxus up close while others in both skin and fur fire at him with blasters. Despite having the upper hand of numbers - five on one is good odds - Haxus holds his ground.

Katie growls. “If only I could help…” She presses buttons furiously, but the result is the same, she just can’t hack this tech. Even if she could, she’s sure the firewalls in place won’t be as friendly as the ones her brother makes for her to take down on purpose. She may have no intention of staying in the ship, but because the commands only respond to Galra, she is stuck. 

So the hard way then.

“Let.” She clamps both her hands into fists, reaches them over her head and brings them down hard on the console. “Me.” She strikes again and it crackles with magenta energy. “Go!” 

The console bursts and the door shoots up to open. If Haxus can breathe the atmosphere so can she. 

It’s time to help. 

There’s a broken pipe that Katie snatches up on her way out. It’s awkward to wield with her wrists tightly bound together, but she is determined to do her part to see her way home. 

The desert-like surface sprawls out for as far as Katie can see, with rolling dunes not unlike those on Earth. The only difference is that the sand is green, and as Katie takes her first step off the ship, it is deceptively more solid than what she’d expect from a beach and more akin to the pressed gravel around the Garrison, crackling beneath her sneakers. Good, all the better to keep traction. 

Haxus is backing up towards the ship, deflecting the blaster fire with his sword. Seeing him on the retreat makes her hands shake in anger and fear. Haxus has deceived her every step of the way and now that he’s shown his cards, Katie is ready to act on it. He’s also bigger, and knows so much more than her - and that’s terrifying to be up against. 

But Katie is more clever. She found a way out of the ship when she shouldn’t have. She won’t meekly fall in line for him. 

When Haxus is close enough, Katie swings the pipe back and brings it down on Haxus’ arm. 

It’s enough of a surprise that Haxus half turns to face her, the shocked expression on his face at the sight of her gives Katie the confidence to be smug about it. The opening is enough that blaster fire hits him in the back. His eyes widen and he yells in pain and he falls face first to the ground before her. 

His face scrunches in pain. Still alive. 

“Take that!” Katie declares. “Now ta-AH!” 

Large, angled arms like rocks wrap around her waist and hoist her up. She shrieks and drops her weapon to hold onto the jagged yellow rocks that hold  _ her _ . 

“Kuthran, let the child down,” orders one of the centaurs. She carries an aura of leadership as her male companion presses a hoof down on Haxus, keeping him down. “Any enemy of the Galra is a friend of ours.”

The hulking humanoid sets her down gently as ordered. Katie must crane her neck to see his dispassionate yellow face. Like a snowman, but with rocks and proper legs and arms, each is held together by a force unknown to her. He grunts and looks away.

“My name is Vitra,” the female centaur says not unkindly, reminding Katie a lot of her father’s boss, Sanda. “You have my thanks for helping us capture this scum. Clearly you were his prisoner, what can you tell us about what he was up to?”

The dam breaks. Finally, some genuinely friendly faces that she can express her hurt and fear to. “I’m Katie!” she says quickly. “Haxus was on my planet looking for Voltron - all I want to do is go home. Please, can you get me back to Earth?”

“Haxus?” A new voice, coming from a slender alien with a chameleon-like face approaches. He carries a long rifle. “That’s Sendak’s second in command,” he finishes in clear disgust.

Katie isn’t sure what she feels about Haxus being such a high ranking officer. A lonely feeling pools in her stomach to be singled out by not just a random soldier, but one with some clout. It feels less like she is a momentary amusement and more like some sort of trophy.

“And out in the boondocks looking for Voltron?” Vitra says carefully with suspicious eyes. “Zarkon claims Voltron is no more.” She kicks Haxus in the side with a hoof. Katie can’t even enjoy how it aggravates the wound he gained during the crash. “What is the truth,  _ Lieutenant _ ?”

Haxus snarls after he winces. “Victory or death.”

He’s kicked by a hoof again for his non response, grunting in a clear attempt to avoid crying out in pain. 

“A death I will gladly give you once I have the information I want,” Vitra promises. She lets out a high pitched whistle into the air. From the sky, a winged centaur comes to land in the group. It isn’t until Vitra speaks to her that Katie realizes that she is gaping. 

“This is Munnan,” she introduces. “He’s our best pilot. Come to our base and have a meal and get cleaned up. Munnan will bring you back to Earth.”

Katie’s heart soars with relief, the smile wide on her face. “Thank you!” she says.

Haxus laughs, low and slow at first. As he does Katie’s heart drops right to the bottom of her stomach. He knows something that she does not. Again.

That terrifies her. 

“What’s so funny, scum?” Vitra demands. 

Haxus turns his head and slowly opens one eye. “If you return the girl to me now, you may still have time to evacuate your hidden base.”

Katie’s knees grow weak at his words, just the thought of having to continue on under his thumb simultaneously making her angry and keeping her scared. She wobbles into Kuthran, his rocky body the only reason she realizes she’s backing away. Despite his stony face, his large hand moves to provide a barrier between her and her kidnapper, protective and kind. 

“Sendak has my mayday position, and is already in route,” Haxus says smugly. “Your base is compromised no matter where it is on this planet.”

The group of rebel fighters stiffen, but Vitra swiftly gives the order. “Start the evacuation. Destroy the intel, just get everyone out of there. Kuthran, Munnan, take Katie--”

Haxus chuckles darkly. “You don’t want to take her.”

Katie gasps sharply. “What do you mean?” she dares to ask. Immediately she knows speaking was a mistake, because there is clear fear in her voice and Haxus looks her way with delighted eyes.

“Because you will never get the locator cuffs off of her,” he replies. “And as long as she is with you, Commander Sendak will hunt you down until you can run no longer.”

“Then take her home,” Vitra orders. “We’ll rendezvous at the second base.”

As Vitra continues to give each person their order, Katie stares at her bindings, trying to remember how to breathe. No matter where she goes in the universe, she’ll be tracked down. Including Earth. With a fleet rather than one small scouting ship, humans will be completely overwhelmed and unprepared. 

“I can’t go home,” Katie realizes with a sob in her throat, looking desperately to Vitra. “They’ll come find me and invade Earth. My family...”

Vitra and Munnan stop speaking. The chameleon alien drops a hand from his earpiece. They all look her way with varying degrees of pity. 

“We can’t bring you to our base,” Vitra insists. “And we will not leave you here alone.”

“So you’ll leave her in my hands,” Haxus supplies confidently, still wedged under a hoof. “As I asked of you in the first place.”

Katie shakes her head. “No,” she says, chest rising and falling unevenly. “Please, no, I don’t want to go with him.”

Vitra’s look of pity hardens. “We do not have time to make other arrangements. I won’t leave you to die on this planet. If you won’t go home and you can’t come with us, he is your only option, as much as I hate to let him live.”

Haxus continues smiling. He knew. He  _ knew  _ how all of this was going to go down. 

“No, please, take me with you,” Katie begs, terror growing as Kuthran slowly unfurls his protective hand. She holds out her cuffs and takes a step forward. “I’m smart. I’ll figure out how to get these off!”

The centaurs and chameleon already have their backs turned, racing for where she assumes their base is. Kuthran walks past her and turns to her.

“Sorry, little Katie. Be strong. Rescue possible.” Cupping his rocky palm around her head, he gently moves a strand of hair out of her face. Katie realizes that it isn’t her bangs that are making her vision blurry, it’s her tears. 

Then, Kuthran crumbles. Each rock that made up his body falls to the ground in a heap and then sinks beneath the sand. The wind whistles past her ear as she stares at the spot where the rock alien used to be, where now there is only smooth sand. She is completely and utterly…

“Now then,” Haxus stands, pebbles clinking against his armor. He brushes the sand off of him. Katie turns just as he steps forward to loom before her. “Where were we?”

With such a promising chance of escape torn away so cruelly, Katie snaps. “You’re a monster!” she screams. With all her might she slams her fists against his chest plate. It doesn’t even faze him. 

“I know you mean it as an insult, but in this case I consider it a high compliment,” Haxus replies proudly. He pats her head, and then Katie squeaks and clenches up in terror as he wraps one arm tightly around her waist, lifting her into his chest. “Hold on tightly,” he advises. 

Katie squirms and continues to pound on his armor, trying to keep herself an arms distance away from his face. But the emotional turmoil has physically exhausted her, and her struggles soon turn into half-hearted attempts the longer she can’t wiggle away. “What do you want from me?” she asks in desperation. Her fists come down on his armor one last time, weighted enough with sorrow that they refuse to rise for another punch. 

“I already told you,” he responds casually, more looking at the sky than at her. “I have much to do for Commander Sendak and only one set of hands. You wished to learn, didn’t you? Be loyal to me and every opportunity to learn will be open to you.”

“I don’t want that!” Katie sobs immediately. For years she’s prided herself over her sharp mind, but it fails her here as she’s unable to wrap her mind around being abducted for no real reason, simply a  _ whim _ . Like some kind of souvenir. “I never wanted to be taken from my family!”

Haxus sighs, but he tightens his grip. “Very well.” He smirks, and when he continues, Katie freezes in fear, eyes wide in disbelief. “I do enjoy doing this the hard way.”

A gigantic spaceship comes into appearance above the planet, as if it just poofs into existence. Dread pools in her stomach, lifting into her heart at how cornered she is. Its purple exterior and its sword-like appearance leaves no question of whom it belongs to. 

But Haxus tells her anyway.

“Commander Sendak’s timing has greatly improved since we first met,” he explains as if discussing a pleasant change in the weather. 

As the ship descends towards them it kicks up dust and sand, forcing Katie to duck away. Nestling her face into the crook of her arms and loathingly pressing against Haxus’ armor as he acts as a wall against the debris is all she can do. The moment she does so, he chuckles darkly and pats her on the head. 

It makes her sick, and she wants to cry all over again at how helpless she is. This isn’t a puzzle game she can think her way out of. 

A powerful force tugs at the core of her body, feeling as if it threatens to rip the bones from her skin. Though slightly unpleasant, it hardly compares to the ill feeling of Haxus’ secure hold and the lack of control she has over the situation. A minute later, when Katie no longer feels the grains of stand pelting her arms, she makes the mistake of looking around. 

They must be hundreds of feet into the air. The large boulders amid the sand now blend into the background. Katie screams and grips the first hold she can find, which is the collar of Haxus’ armor. Nearly as soon as she does so, the atmosphere disappears and they rise up into a ship’s hangar. The large bay doors close beneath Haxus’ feet and the force dissipates. 

Haxus drops to the ground, and nearly immediately after, drops Katie as well. Katie isn’t ready for it, and although she lands on her feet, she’s unbalanced with her wrists still bound together. She stumbles, and rather than falling, suffers whiplash as Haxus pulls her to his side. 

Robots taller than Haxus himself line the way to a door opposite the hangar, all bearing the same sharp-pointed emblem that shines above the doorway. There is a sense of finality in the air - Haxus has reached his destination.

Katie’s head swims; she’s so tired and sad, and seeing all these robots isn’t even enough to make her excited. They aren’t like the fun exploratory robots the Galaxy Garrison designs. There are so many and they’re all evil. 

If Haxus weren’t holding her, she’d fall to her knees. There really is no escape.

The doorway to the interior of the ship slides open and in walks the Galra that Katie had momentarily seen on the viewscreen upon waking to this nightmare. If Haxus is second in command of this ship, then this must be Commander Sendak. 

“Emperor Zarkon has sent us a task,” Sendak begins.

As Sendak turns to walk back into the ship, Haxus turns to her. “Work starts now, Child. Keep up and remain close.” Without further explanation or letting her have a word, he turns to keep stride with Sendak. 

“The mission?” Haxus asks, seemingly to completely forget about her. 

Even with the order, Katie can’t find the will to move. The aliens, the kidnapping, the cruelty, all of it is so overwhelming that she can’t move her feet. Her back is sore, her wrists hurt, and she’s emotionally drained. She doesn’t want to go with Haxus, but there is no safe place  _ to  _ go. 

Even those who fight toe to toe against Galra like Haxus can’t help her. 

Any decision is taken out of her hands when a robot pushes her forward. With a surprised yelp, Katie barely keeps herself steady with several long strides, enough to catch up to her warden. 

“Finally!” Haxus exclaims happily, and Katie realizes she’s missed a very important part of the conversation. “It has been too long.”

“The glory will be equally yours once the Lion is secured,” Sendak assures him gleefully. “Your code was the key to finding its location.”

“Once the retrieval is complete I will search for the pattern that worked,” Haxus promises professionally. “Now that I have some assistance, the other four will surely be found within the phoeb.”

Sendak stops at the threshold to the interior of the ship, for the first time giving her a good look over, making her stomach knot together. Katie gulps as his one eyed stare attempts to penetrate her soul. 

“You have thousands of sentries to choose from,” Sendak says, almost in exasperation.

Katie bristles, anger and energy renewed at this tidbit of information. If Haxus took her away from her family to do a job that any robot could, then not only is she going to escape, but she is going to make sure he  _ never  _ hurts anyone else ever again. 

“You-!”

Haxus slips his claws under her ponytail, interrupting her furious outburst that she pauses in favor of self preservation. Before she can move away, he grabs hold of her neck just firmly enough and drags her towards him before she can process how close to death she might have been. Her skin crawls as his fingers play with the hair behind her neck, claws scraping at her skin enough to break it, but not bleed. 

“This is more fun,” he answers simply. Katie’s breath hitches when he takes her chin in his other hand, forcing her to look towards Sendak. “Look at the fear and the anger. From a backwater planet that can’t escape its own solar system to a whole universe far more technologically advanced.” Haxus hums, pleased, and goes on like he’s giving a presentation and Katie is the subject. “There is nothing more entertaining than watching a slave struggle to comprehend their situation.”

He blessedly releases her and Katie takes several breaths, starved for oxygen even though her airway hadn’t been  _ that  _ restricted. 

“Adults can be fun since they understand the insurmountable odds they face, but a child,” Haxus purrs, “can’t grasp that yet. So they fight back for longer.” Haxus leans down, nearly in her face, and Katie wants to be anywhere but right here and right now. “And I enjoy watching them break down as they slowly realize that there is no escape.” 

Katie’s heart shatters and crumbles against her ribcage and wonders how she so badly misjudged him.

“Do as you wish,” Sendak replies without much care, “so long as we retrieve the Voltron Lions.” With that, he crosses the threshold. 

“I’m not going,” Katie says sternly as soon as Sendak is out of view. She tries not to think about how the commander has just given his blessing for Haxus to keep her here, resolute to not be compliant, but her stomach churns over Haxus’ threat that she will break down over time.

She feels herself crumbling already, with no firm foundation of family, friends, or anything familiar to stand on.

Boldness flies out of her body as Haxus takes her arm roughly in reply. With a jerk to drag her along, Katie lets out a short whine and shuts her eyes in a wince as her arm is bent at an awkward angle thanks to her constrained wrists. The sharp pain persists as she struggles to keep up with him into the main section of the ship, following closely after Sendak. “You are here to serve myself and the Commander while we execute Emperor Zarkon’s will. That is all you need to focus on from now on.”

His tone leaves no room for argument, turning from her to end the conversation. 

All Katie wants to do is cry. Or hurt Haxus - a lot. 

Breaking down here in the hallway in front of Haxus and Sendak will just lead to Haxus carrying or dragging her along, and she wants his hands off of her to relieve the stress in her arms. And since she can’t hurt him, for now she forces herself to fall into line, focusing on one step in front of the other. 

Haxus lets go of her after a minute of observation and Katie finally feels as though she has room to breathe. 

“The planet is full of active volcanoes,” Sendak says, handing Haxus a tablet as the three of them walk into a small enclosure. When the door closes and Katie feels the familiar jump of an elevator, she relaxes only somewhat at the knowledge that some mechanisms are universal. 

“So the Lions did find hiding places amid their elements,” Haxus says in amazement as he scans the data on the tablet. “Is the Red Lion inside of one?”

“Annoyingly,” Sendak growls. “But nothing that cannot withstand the ion cannon. It is charged and ready after we jump out of hyperspace.”

“Excellent. I look forward to seeing proper firepower again.” Turning off the tablet, he turns to her. Katie drops her mouth in surprise when he hands it to her. “Hold this.”

Shocked about being given something of value, she wordlessly brings it to her chest.

The twin doors open again to reveal what can only be the bridge. Robots man different stations. On the massive viewscreen that Katie has to look up to even this far back, a sea of stars turns into one large, red planet. It hadn’t been there when she and Haxus crashed. There must have been a hyperjump during their trek to the bridge. Katie marvels over how smooth the ride had been to not even feel it. 

“Perfect timing,” Sendak says as he steps out. “Increase magnification on the Lion.”

The viewscreen blinks and there is shortly an image of a caldera. Waves of lava bubble up to the surface. Focusing on an island in the middle, Katie’s jaw drops. Just as Haxus had described to her, there is a metallic lion sitting still surrounded by a sphere of gold. 

“The Red Lion of Voltron,” Haxus says in awe. “After tens of deca-pheobs of searching.”

“And now it will be where it rightfully belongs, to the Galra Empire,” Sendak confirms. “Fire the ion cannon.” 

The beam is large and terrible. With no trouble at all it breaks apart the side of the volcano, letting lava flow out easily. 

“Ready the tractor beam. Bring the Red Lion on board.”

As fascinating as seeing the tractor beam at work is, Katie has already experienced it first hand. Her eyes fall to the bottom of the screen, where the lava is flowing towards something very familiar.

“That’s a house!” she manages to say in a trembling voice. “The lava is moving towards a house - someone might be in there!”

Sendak turns towards Haxus with an expectant stare, who simply laughs and pats her on the head. “See, she’s adorable.”

“You…” even as she says it, Katie agonizingly realizes her words are likely for naught. “You have to do something. There might be people living there.”

“A village,” Sendak corrects. Katie processes that Sendak already knew about the entire village at the foot of the volcano, but her mind breaks over how uncaring he is of their lives regardless, her heart in disbelief over the cruelty. “Very well, it is your pet’s first invasion, Haxus.” He turns to the helmsman. “Ready the ion cannon.”

“No!” Katie yells. This cannot be happening. There are people there and Sendak is going to willfully let them die. Those kinds of people only exist in movies, not real life. She has to do something. Dropping the tablet to the floor, she steps forward-- 

Haxus scoops her up all too easily and carries her towards the elevator. “Do not worry, Child, they’ll suffer less this way,” he says as if to comfort her. “I will confirm the retrieval of the Red Lion in the hangar, Commander.”

“See to it,” Sendak confirms. “Vrepit Sa.”

“Stop!” Katie squirms, dragging herself over Haxus’ shoulder and fighting tooth and nail to get free. She doesn’t know what she can even do, but this is wrong. So wrong. “They didn’t do anyth--” 

The elevator door shuts.

Haxus sighs as Katie’s tailbone hits hard on the floor. “The Commander humored you because you are new. Next time you speak out of turn in front of superior officers, you will be punished,” he explains casually. “If you wish for more survivors, refrain from speaking unless spoken to.”

Angry tears well up in her eyes. “Why are you so cruel?” she demands. 

“I simply have a job to do, and having you around will make my job more entertaining,” he replies simply. “Get up. Once the Red Lion is secured we will present it to Emperor Zarkon himself. Then we will work on the code for the Lion tracker. I’ll teach you how to operate it. There are billions of equations to test before we can search for the remaining four.”

He reaches out his hand for her to take.

Katie doesn’t take it, adamant about getting up herself and pointedly ignoring him as she does so. It sickens her the way he switches from cruel taskmaster back to the casual mentorship they’d had back on Earth. She refuses to go along with it. 

Haxus sighs, and Katie hasn’t yet figured out if his sigh is a preamble for bad things all the time or not. “Your youth gives you the advantage of being malleable, perfect to mold into the perfect assistant.”

“To look over lines of code all day,” Katie grumbles and then glares. “You have  _ robots  _ who can do the same thing!”

Haxus folds his hands behind his back and exits the elevator. Katie follows if only to finish this conversation, to obtain information. She supposes later she can get a sense of the ship’s schematics. “The sentries are good for many things. Of course they can distinguish code, but they are still handicapped by their programming. You, however, have a young, curious mind. I want you to use that for me.”

Katie looks away sharply, though still following out of the corner of her eye. “Whatever.”

“Good,” Haxus commends brightly, satisfied. “The sooner you accept your fate, the easier it will be.”

It doesn’t make Katie feel good at all.


	3. Home is where the Heart is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A house does not always mean a home.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: death of minor character, blood, near death

The Red Lion is larger in person, and imposing, but Katie thinks that behind its force-field it looks rather sad; lonely and trapped, just like her. Katie halts her sludge forward to look up in awe as Haxus communicates back with Sendak that it is secure in the hangar. 

“As a child I was almost convinced they no longer existed,” Haxus offers wistfully when finished, approaching the Lion. “But Emperor Zarkon never believed they were destroyed, and his faith has led us to the first of five today,” he finishes with pride. 

Katie still isn’t sure why Voltron or the Lions are such a big deal. She pauses further away from the Lion than Haxus, already craning her neck to see its face. Of course they’re big, but not compared to the battlecruiser that it now rests in. Their shape is interesting, and she doesn’t deny she’s curious about why someone would build a spaceship in the form of a lion of all things. The longer she observes it, the more tension releases from her body, giving her a semblance of peace she hasn’t felt for a while. Unlike the fury of the volcano they found it in, the Red Lion gives off the warmth of a fireplace or...a campfire. Just like the one she had with her family the night before she was stolen from them. 

Katie bites her lip at the memory to prevent more tears. Her carefully placed dam that has been holding the majority of them back in the presence of her captors is slowly breaking down as no reasonable escape plan becomes apparent to her. 

The pieces of her broken heart ache for her mother’s embrace.

It’s nearly a whisper, but there’s a low purr that echoes in the room, making Katie gasp.

“D-did you do that?” she wonders aloud.

Haxus raises an eyebrow, turning to face her while crossing his arms. “Do what?”

“Purr,” she clarifies. “I hear something purring.”

For the first time since Earth, Katie has caught Haxus off guard, albeit accidentally. She can’t help but chuckle as he bristles in indignation. “I do not _purr_.”

Genuine laughter escapes her mouth before she can stop it. This is hardly the time or the place to be giggling at anything. Haxus is evil and is clear in his intention to make her subservient. But it feels _good_ to find something that gets a rise out of him. 

So she lets the giggle come freely. “You did!” she laughs. A shadow catches her attention from behind the Red Lion, but with how deprived of fun she’s been, she continues teasingly, “You’ve been doing it this entire--”

The shadow turns into a large snake, hot flakes of tinder falling from the scales. With human hands and a very human upper body, he rises behind Haxus and lifts his giant sword. 

“The Red Lion will not fall to Zarkon’s hands!” the naga declares.

Haxus must have been watching her widening stare, and she suddenly hates herself for giving what might have been her rescuer away. The Galra rolls off to the side as the naga’s blade smashes onto the metal floor. Haxus unsheathes his own sword and meets the next blow.

“You are too late,” Haxus says smugly as he parries the naga back, and then strides forward with confidence. “The universe will all come under Zarkon’s rule eventually.”

The naga’s mouth twists in rage. He positions his sword upright in preparation to attack. “I am Nelas, sworn protector of the Lion Goddess’ vessel,” he hisses. “While I draw breath, I will see that Voltron is never formed in Zarkon’s name.”

Haxus isn’t given a chance to respond, though it doesn’t seem as if he minds. A grin is plastered on his face, far too gleeful than she thinks one fighting for his life should be. Katie backs away from the fight, uneasiness pooling in her stomach at the thought of her captor being so easily incited to battle. If he loves to fight so much, what does that mean for her who must do whatever he wants? Will he punish her in a mock and very one-sided battle? 

With how little he cares for the lives of others, Katie wonders what her life is worth to him. 

Nelas presses with power and Haxus returns strike for strike. For all that the guardian goes in for attack after attack, Haxus is unperturbed and wastes little energy compared to Nelas’ bulging muscles. 

Once already Katie has aided in a fight against Haxus today and lost. She searches for a weapon, anything that can be used to assist Nelas, but finds the hangar lacking. She yelps as Haxus runs past her and Nelas slides by with speed she’d never expect from a species without legs. 

“Foolish girl, take cover!” Haxus growls impatiently.

Katie seethes. “As if you care!” she yells back, blinded to consequences by rage. “There are plenty of other kids in the universe!” If he just wants to see the fight squeezed out of her for fun, he can pick on one of them.

Guilt wraps around her heart as soon as she says it, she knows it's wrong to wish this situation on anyone else. 

She has no time to dwell on it as Nelas turns to face her. Katie takes an instinctive step back as he looks her over. 

“I don’t want to be here,” she tells him desperately. Katie hates to condense her entire awful experience so far in that short sentence, but she must get her point through. 

After far too much silence, Nelas says carefully, “You must mean something to him - I am sorry.”

He raises his sword and slithers towards her.

“No!” she yelps as she stumbles backwards. In fear she trips on the foot of the Red Lion, poorly hiding behind its leg. “Please, no, I just want to go home.”

The naga speeds up, a neutral expression on his face. “Your death will help me protect the Red Lion.”

Desperately, Katie tries to scramble to her feet in order to run. Paralyzed by fear and her restraints, she can only slip around the leg of the Red Lion to shield herself from the impending impact. 

It never comes. 

A roar so loud it threatens to pierce her eardrums echoes through the hangar. Along with the Red Lion, four others fly across the sky in her mind’s eye. With a burst of speed and colorful contrails, they fly up in formation and disappear. In their place is a single robot, like Katie remembers from early morning cartoons. 

Voltron. The name enters her mind like a proclamation.

When Katie opens her eyes, Nelas is looking up in awe at the face of the Red Lion. Though she can’t see from underneath the beast, the naga’s expression tells her that somehow, someway, the Red Lion wanted to intervene.

Like it was sentient. Or something. 

Nelas lowers his gaze to her, eyes filled with reverence. Katie wonders if he saw the same strange vision. “By the Stars, you are- uh!”

The tip of Haxus’ sword pokes out of the front side of Nelas’ belly, splattering blue droplets of alien blood all over Katie’s face and clothes. For a moment she forgets to breathe, her mouth gapes and her eyes remain wide as Haxus removes his sword and the naga drops lifelessly to the ground.

“I’m not letting you go that easily,” he says far too casually for having just killed someone. “Get up. I need to report this incident to Commander Sendak personally.”

A pit of despair sinks into her stomach despite the fact that her life has just been spared; if Haxus is this serious, she is never going home again.

She tries so hard to hold back the first sob, but once it comes, the second follows much more easily. 

Her body quakes as Haxus drags her to her feet, patting her on the back with some kind of twisted sympathy. “You’ll feel much more at home once you’ve had a good cry,” he assures her. His voice is kind, but it’s tinged with that superiority that makes it feel more like he mocks her. “It will help you accept your new life.”

Katie stares at the still body before her, doing all she can to reign in her hiccuping sobs lest she fall into a full blown meltdown in front of someone who will make her feel so much worse. She’s seen so much death today, experienced so many life threatening situations - is _still_ in a life threatening situation. If Haxus has no qualms about killing unknown villagers, what will it take for him to kill her when she no longer proves amusing or useful? 

She can’t stay.

“Come, Child,” Haxus urges boredly.

“I don’t want to be here,” she manages to choke out. Her eyes find the body again, unable to look away for long. A body that was someone living and breathing not even a minute ago. “Take me home!” she pleads, diverting her gaze to Haxus only long enough to speak.

The slump in Haxus’ posture and the way he sighs in annoyance tells her that he doesn’t, and likely never will, take her seriously. “I’ve invested too much time in you.” He smirks. “In time, your family and planet will join you in service of the Galra Empire. Set a good example for them.”

Dark blue blood bubbles over the naga’s pinkish belly. Katie’s hand finds itself over her own navel, fingers tightening and bunching the fabric of her shirt. Her stomach feels tight and exposed, suddenly acutely aware of the life-sustaining blood flowing fast through her veins and how it doesn’t through the alien who nearly killed her. Of how she is only saved by her kidnapper and of how her own life is completely out of her hands. Bile rises in her throat and she covers her mouth in fear of throwing up. Images of blue vomit dropping to the floor haunts her imagination.

Katie turns and runs. 

“Where are you going?” Haxus demands, more shocked than angry..

Katie doesn’t answer. She crosses the hangar quickly despite her aggravated lungs, filled with mucus from so many held back tears, trying not to throw up. The door is still open, so she runs through. All she wants is to get away from the body; get away from Haxus. 

She has no plan but an escape would be a great bonus. 

“Stop her!” Haxus yells not far behind. Running down hallway after hallway, she passes several robots - who do nothing to stop her until they hear their commanding officer orders them. Katie can feel the air move around her as they swipe their claws to grab, ripping the hem of her shirt. 

Just ahead of her, there’s a roped off maintenance area. A robot mechanic emerges from an open panel in the floor and steps out just as Katie approaches it. 

“Catch her!” Haxus yells from not far behind. The mechanic tries to wrap his arms around her, but Katie is thankful for her slight figure and jumps under the panels. 

With precious seconds before they follow after, Katie climbs into a narrow pipe - too small for Haxus and his goons but just big enough for her. Breathing labored, she worms her way as fast as she can through the little tunnel, even though it smells of decay and drips with a sticky liquid that glows purple. Unsure where it goes, all she knows is that Haxus can’t get her here. 

Minutes, an hour maybe, passes. Time is completely lost to her. In a heap, Katie collapses onto her stomach, arms tucked around her face and legs splayed out behind her. 

Here, she cries - full on sobs and unrestrained wails. 

She cries over the unfairness of the situation, the utterly stupid naivety that let her trust Haxus in her unchecked excitement to meet a real alien - the _wrong_ alien. She shakes and sobs over the death she witnessed. She mourns for her family, whom she’d give anything to see again, to tell them how sorry she is for ignoring them. She wants her father’s hugs, her mother’s kisses…

Even for Matt to call her Pidge again.

As the tears wind down, Katie is unable to find the energy to cry any longer, her belly aching for something to eat. Whether that’s stealing something from inside this ship... or... Haxus probably has something in mind for her to eat. 

No, that means surrendering. Katie Holt isn’t a quitter. 

Not while she still has options at least; she isn’t stupid enough to ignore the odds against her. Though, her heart races as she wonders if Haxus may be growing too impatient with her, if she’s finally crossed a line where he will kill her. 

Katie prefers not to find out. 

Concentrating, she listens. Perhaps... she’ll hear that purring again. She doesn’t know where it comes from, but she can’t help but feel like it’s trying to help her. It had warned her about Haxus, and about getting onto the ship with him, and it was there when she attacked him, and more clearly than ever in the hangar of the Red Lion. 

It wasn’t...it isn’t the Lion, is it? The _ship_?

Instead of the roar or purr she seeks, she picks up on the faint sound of an engine. 

Summoning just enough energy to wiggle through the tunnel, the sound gets louder and louder until she finally finds an exit as the noise becomes almost unbearable. It’s easier than expected to punch the metal bars out onto the ground below, and then jump down feet first. 

It can only be the engine room. Katie looks upon the gigantic cylinders in awe... and then despair. If only she had a schematic of the ship, then she could actually plan what to do next!

A pink beam whizzes by her neck, setting her off balance. The heat lingers uncomfortably on her neck like a bad sunburn as metal clanks against the ground. Katie screams as she wobbles, watching in terror as her beloved necklace - her promise to herself to go into space - falls off the side of the only _thin_ walkway in the entire room that she so blindly fell onto. With no guardrails, the engine room is deep enough that there will be no surviving if she falls. Her bonds give her less balance than usual, so she promptly sits to compensate.

Her promise to see the stars is gone, as if it mockingly knows she is already among them. Katie breathes heavy. Not that it matters. She’s here, and like the necklace is gone, so is the hope of an exciting future.

Across the room near the door are two sentries, blasters lighting up with life to fire upon her. With nowhere to go, she's a sitting duck.

"I'm so sorry, Matt," she whispers, shutting her eyes tight.

Though the universe seems to not be done with her.

"There you are," Haxus’ voice says smugly, echoing from across the chamber. Katie dares to open her eyes and sees him between each sentry, guarding her only exit.

Katie bares her teeth, tears still pooling in her eyes. Perhaps the most hurtful insult to the injury of all this, besides literally abducting her, is that once he tried to treat her with respect as a student. To see that it was all a ruse, that not only is he just the same as the teachers in school who dismiss her ramblings as 'too advanced for the class, please talk about the assignment', but he relishes in the cruelty as if it is his right. If Haxus is like this, and Sendak worse, what must their emperor be like to foster such followers? She hopes never to find out, but at this rate, it may be inevitable.

"I don't want to be your assistant!" she yells back, because she can't bring herself to use the word slave, even if it is the more fitting term. 

Haxus clicks the inside of his mouth and steps forward. "A shame. You were so enjoying helping me back on your home planet."

Katie scoots back, closer to the engine itself. "I don't like being kidnapped!" she retorts, arms held close to her chest in an attempt for some kind of false sense of security.

"You'll forget that life in time," he says as he casually strolls her way. "Your talents are wasted on a backwater planet. The amount of quintessence you hold makes it a crime, let alone your intellect."

"I don't want to be special," she lies, for all she hates the bullies she thrives on being a genius, a commander's daughter, a Holt, she just doesn’t want to be special to _him_. "I want to go home."

"If you keep saying that," Haxus says slowly, "I'll schedule Earth's invasion for the next quintant."

Katie sucks in a sharp breath. She has no idea what a quintant is, but the idea of Earth being invaded, her family's lives in danger, roots her to the spot as she backs up against the engine itself.

Nowhere else to run, both physically and in this duel of wills she has with Haxus.

She's lost.

"To the victor goes the spoils," Haxus chuckles at her downcast face, speaking as if he reads her mind. He holds out his hand before her face. "You belong to me, Child."

Anger overrides fear and common sense. She pushes his hand away, but he holds tight. "Don't touch me! I-I'll destroy the engine!"

"With your tiny arms? I doubt it," he says humorously. "As fun as your rebellion has been, you are on Commander Sendak's vessel now. It is time to get to work."

Logically Katie knows there's no escape, but she still has her pride. With a mighty yank, she pulls herself free from Haxus.

The momentum of her action, combined with her misplaced center of gravity, puts Katie teetering on the edge of the walkway, her core carrying her off the ledge. With a stabbing fear in her heart Katie views the maw of the engine room, what must be hundreds of feet below. 

So this is how she dies, trillions of light years from home and her family has no closure of what happened to her. How many seconds will she have to see the life flash before her eyes? 

Her head bobs in whiplash as sharp claws dig threateningly through the front of her clothes and press against her skin, preventing further descent. “You may work for me and sate your curiosity,” Haxus says conversationally. 

Dizziness overwhelms her head as she’s jerked upward and onto her feet. “Or your life is forfeit,” Haxus adds sharply as she stumbles backwards into him. “The choice is yours.”

Katie doesn’t want to die, brushing with it twice today has convinced her of that. Which means that life as Haxus’ slave is her only option if she is to bide her time to escape. 

It’s not an ideal plan, but it’s something. Haxus is right, she doesn’t know her situation and all of this is completely new to her. But he himself acknowledged she is clever, and she resolves to figure him and this universe out with the goal of getting home and hugging her family for all she’s worth. She will find the right buttons to push, learn the right skills if Haxus is so willing to teach her for his own benefit. 

Yet... it means that for now she must surrender. Katie opens her mouth to say the words, but they are stuck in her throat, only managing to get out a strangled, “O-okay…”

“Go on,” Haxus eggs her on gleefully.

Katie swallows her pride. Repeating the plan in her head, she urges her crying heart to quell for the moment and turns to face her captor. “Okay,” she says, subdued, amazed at the clarity. “What do you want me to do?”

The wicked, gleeful smile of Haxus chills her arms. “Good enough for now. Follow me, it’s time to go home.”

Home. Her heart aches all over again, because how can any place be home apart from her family?

~~~~~~

Pride is the only thing that keeps Katie upright as Haxus leads her through corridor after corridor. Dragging tired feet, her stomach continues to growl and the dry blood of the naga itches on her face. Now that her imprisonment is a reality, all she wants is to be done with the most awful day of her life.

Finally, Haxus pauses at a door along a lavishly decorated hallway compared to the rest of the ship. A giant banner with what must be the symbol of the Galra Empire hangs grandly at the end of it. The door slides open and Haxus guides her slumped body inside. 

The lights turn on as she enters, low magenta like those on the smaller craft that brought her here. Likewise, the computer terminal comes to life, keyboards and panels popping up in a three-dimensional heads-up display that at one point she was so excited over, now emphasizing how outclassed she is. On the walls to both her right and left there are more grey doors.

“This is my office,” Haxus explains as he walks past her and towards the terminal. He taps in a command. “My quarters are to the left and the bathing facilities are to the right,” he continues briskly. “Since I prefer to keep work and leisure separate, you’ll be staying in here.”

Katie shudders at sleeping so close by; even a prison cell seems preferable, just so she can have her own space. 

He walks past her again, and Katie’s heart and body jump as he bangs his fist against the blank wall closest to her. Four metal posts jump out like knives from a sheath. The wall then drops with a frightening clank; Haxus looks as if he enjoyed startling her. When it settles, there’s a bed, attached to the wall on only the far side. 

“This is standard for when officers work the overnight hours. I serve on the bridge, so I have no need for it,” he says, letting Katie read between the lines that it's not really hers, but she’s going to use it.

The further he gets into the tour the more her empty stomach twists unbearably. Despite settling into her strategy to wait and learn, it’s hard to accept while standing in a tangible prison, trying to imagine what it will be like falling asleep alone every night. 

Even though the blanket looks heavy, Katie thinks that it will feel cold. 

“You’ll not be able to access the terminal, nor the doors,” Haxus goes on, “and I’ll be too busy to open it every time you need to use the toilet.”

With each word Katie feels smaller and insignificant. She isn’t sure how much worse this will get, and she needs to test her boundaries. The sooner she learns Haxus and his buttons the better. Her breath shudders as she inhales, then asks, “How do I get in, then?”

Haxus wears a satisfied grin as he holds out his hand, and from outside the office comes a triangular drone. The pit of despair in her stomach lifts ever so slightly at the cute little robot. It comes to rest just above his palm, angry red lines outlined with a magenta pulse like a heartbeat while an orb of light the same color stares into her soul. 

“Perfect timing.” Haxus casually opens a compartment on the robot and rearranges something - it's too high for her to see, no matter how she strains on her tiptoes. “This is a service drone; it will suffice to let you into approved spaces if I am not around,” he says after he closes the compartment. 

The drone makes a whirring noise and Katie watches in fascination its colors shift to a light purple. She freezes as it makes a beeline for her, circling her several times before settling to hover at her side. 

“Make no mistake,” Haxus warns sternly, “the drone works for me, as do you.” Katie swallows thickly, any joy over having a robot companion completely wiped away. “Get some rest, next quintant there is much to do.”

“Is that--” She means to ask if the next quintant is tomorrow, which means quintants are days, but her arms fall to her sides, strained like noodles. The cuffs on her wrists are no longer joined and she is _free_.

But not truly free. The cuffs are still there and Haxus closes the door they came into. 

“I’ll be retiring for the night, I suggest you do the same,” he orders casually while striding off to one of the other doors. Katie’s heart sinks in despair when it, like all the other technology here, opens at simply his touch. Her heart aches over what it might be like to experience that herself, for technology to respond to her thoughts. Everything she could ever want is here around her, and she can access none of it. 

He pauses with the door still open, and turns, and as if by afterthought asks, “I suppose you need to be fed?”

As if on cue, Katie's stomach grumbles. She nods, gripping the fabric of her shirt as if it would quell the hunger pains on that alone. “I’m starving.”

Haxus sighs as if this were an inconvenience, body visibly relaxing in preparation for sleep. With one hand he holds the same side that was injured in the crash, nose twitches in irritation, like even he is coming down off of high adrenaline. “Take the drone to the console, get whatever you want delivered.”

Without so much as a good night, he crosses the threshold and the door slides shut behind him. The lights dim and Katie is left standing alone in her prison, the only remaining light from her drone guard.

Haxus gets to relax now that he’s safe at home.

Katie reaches for her arms, holding herself tight as she begins to tremble. The weight of it all hangs on her heart; no more family, no more freedom, no more Earth. Just that morning she’d woken surrounded by love and now she goes to bed devoid of it. She breathes deep, quivering; all of the tears are spent, but she is not finished mourning. 

A sharp point pokes at her upper back accompanied by an angry beep. Katie turns to see the drone’s lights flashing with each beep, as if communicating with her. After a tirade, it flies over and illuminates the bed. 

Katie’s mouth drops, not just at the display of artificial intelligence, but also what the drone means. 

“You... want me to sleep?” she asks tentatively.

The drone _nods_ , the energy ball of an eye dipping sharply and then up again. 

A single laugh escapes her mouth before she realizes it. It’s like a dog, a literal guard dog; one that although answers to her captor, is also her key to discovering this new world she’s found herself in. “I think I’m going to call you Rover.” The overlap between a common pet’s name and the exploratory machines of the early twenty-first century makes the decision easy.

Rover beeps with what sounds like confusion, before darting to the bed with angry, insistent beeps.

“I’m really hungry though, can I eat something first?” she asks. Discouragement immediately makes her empty stomach queasy. Here she is asking permission to _eat_ from a robot.

Rover dips with a long beep that sounds like a sigh of exasperation. It flies over to the console and boots it up. Immediately images of various dishes appear on the screen. Below is what Katie assumes is the name of them in Galra, though she can’t read them. She bites her lip. Without knowing what’s in them, or even what space ingredients taste like, she has no idea which one she’ll like. 

Though in her situation, she can’t be choosey. Any of these will fill her stomach, and though her heart is heavy over it, she’s lucky that she even _has_ a choice. There’s only one thing she can do; keep with the scientific method, test each one.

“I’ll try the top left,” she tells Rover, hoping that whatever she’s picked won’t have the space equivalent of peanuts in it, or if it does, at least let it be peanut _butter_.

Rover beeps and Katie’s selection develops a purple border. The choices disappear and a panel in the wall opens to reveal a burrito-like package, not at all what the picture on the screen looked like.

Katie takes it off the shelf, which promptly closes, disappearing back into the wall. She examines it, turning it every which way in her hands to figure out how she is going to eat this. Amazingly, on the back there’s a straw. Katie sighs with relief as it seems to be just like the juice pouches that she admittedly still enjoys as a middle schooler from time to time. It must have been made well in advance to have come to her so quickly. 

The first tentative sip isn’t awful, but Katie still shivers at the strange taste of tomato and beef in liquid form. It isn’t the worst combination and a part of her heart aches at the familiar flavors. At least there is something to eat that she enjoys. The more she drinks the more her stomach is coated and full, and the hunger pains ease. 

Once finished, Rover promptly shows her a waste receptacle. No sooner as Katie has deposited her empty pouch, the drone once again hovers over the bed, purple light blinking insistently.

“Okay,” she concedes with a smile that feels rare after only a day of being kidnapped. The mothering of the drone is endearing. “I am pretty tired.” Already her heart is lighter, at ease among a machine rather than a person. Machines are predictable, people are not. Rover is literally programmed to be her guardian, which apparently includes making sure she gets enough sleep. 

Carefully she climbs onto the bed, relaxing immediately as she finds it sturdy. Katie sneezes. The blanket is a bit dusty from lack of use, but it has a silky texture to it with the weight of wool - fit for an officer rather than a prisoner, she presumes. Even the cushion is heavenly, plenty of padding and a bit sticky, reminding her of mats she took naps on in kindergarten. The large lilac pillow is soft and her mind, busy with worries, shuts down for the evening. Exhaustion weighs her body down to the comfortable sheets, too tired from the fear, sore muscles, and the tears to contemplate how very much not safe she is, but must be vulnerable and sleep anyway.

“Good night, Rover,” she whispers as her eyelids close. She doesn’t remember hearing a response. 


	4. Workin for a Living

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie isn't just a prisoner for kicks and giggles, she has a job. (Well, kicks and giggles too.)

From behind closed eyelids, the lights of the room turn on and the computer hums to life after what feels like only minutes asleep. Drool that pools at the corner of her very dry mouth and the stiffness indicating the awkward angle that her arm lies under the pillow tells Katie otherwise. Falling asleep in her father’s office isn’t unheard of, but her mind strains to pick up the threads of memory for why she is here. 

“Dad,” she whines while flipping onto her stomach, cradling the pillow into her face - she’d brought a pillow and a comfortable blanket? There isn’t a bed in the office. “Five more minutes.”

A low chuckle that certainly does not belong to her father precedes, “You have until I finish my morning briefing.”

Katie inhales something in between a hiccup and a gasp, eyes flying open as dread pierces her heart. As the events of the day before slam into her like a freight train, Katie slowly sits up. Firmly grasping the blanket as if it were an anchor, she watches Haxus study the wall of symbols displayed on the large monitor in the wall. From its spot beside her pillow, Rover hovers and flies over to him, staying by his side like a well-trained dog. 

Bae Bae was always too spoiled to come when called, but she always responded to food and pets. Katie would bath Bae Bae for the rest of her life if it meant she could be home instead of here!

Rover beeps, catching Haxus’ attention, which he quickly turns on her. With a raised eyebrow he walks towards her and Katie holds her breath, hands shaking. “You are still filthy,” he observes. Katie is sure she holds still from fear rather than honoring yesterday’s surrender as Haxus scrapes her cheek with a claw, taking dried blood and skin with it. “Get cleaned up.”

For half a second, Katie considers not, her face twisting into a scowl and bristling at being told to clean up by someone other than her parents. That is, until she meets Haxus’ unrelenting gaze and she deflates like a balloon. No good will come from saying no. Katie repeats the plan she has in her mind - be patient, just like Shiro always says, learn everything about this place and find a way to escape. 

So she unfurls the blanket from her legs and jumps off the bed and onto the floor, finding it easier to get her legs to move the further from Haxus she gets. 

Rover zooms to her side as she reaches the washroom entrance. She frets while the drone sends a beam of light to the panel next to the door; are alien washrooms like human washrooms? Do they use water, soap, or towels?

The toilet, at least, seems the same. Katie sighs in relief, heading directly towards it as Rover shuts the door behind them. 

The grey and purple walls, so identical to the rest of the ship, almost hides the shower. Once finished with the toilet, Katie steps behind the glass, transfixed on the showerhead and searches for the non-existent knobs. Angling her head in perplexion, she wonders, “How do you turn on the water?”

Rover beeps and flies to the glass near where Katie entered. With the same purple beam of light the drone used to order her food and open the door, the threshold to the shower shimmers and there’s a click from near the shower head. Water trickles out at first and Katie gasps in realization. 

“Wait,” she yelps. She runs over to the entrance only to find that there is a force field in place. She pounds on it. “Don’t turn it on yet! I’m still dressed!”

The full force of the water rains down upon her even as far away as she is from the showerhead. From head to toe, no part of her is spared the brunt of it. As the water recedes, Katie spits out some of the bathwater that managed to get into her mouth. “Urgh,” she whines. Clothes wet and heavy, Katie moves her dripping bangs out of her face. Now she’ll have to go through the day in wet clothes, most likely freeze, and then come down with a cold.

The thought of Haxus caring for her if she gets sick only serves to make her ill without needing to come down with the actual cold. 

A click, just like the one that heralded the water, echoes in the chamber. From out of the porous wall, bubbles and suds come slowly out, descending on her more menacingly than soap should. 

Katie backs away. “You can let me out now!” she frets to Rover. 

The drone hovers nearby, it’s purple coloring a shade or two deeper at the moment, not concerned at all. 

Katie forces herself to breath. Patience yields focus, wasn’t that the phrase? “C'mon Holt, use your brain.”

It seems obvious, as the first bubble hits. It looks like soap and feels like soap. “It’s automatic?” she guesses.

Rover beeps curtly, which Katie takes to be a ‘yes’. 

So Katie lets the process take its course, even as the second round of washing begins, coming at her with enough force to rinse the soap from every inch of her. She proudly stands her ground despite the deluge, giggling with delight over the growing confidence she has in knowing how something as mundane as an alien shower operates - like a car wash for people.

Then all the water drains away and the air comes in like a hurricane. Katie’s cheeks flap, skin stretched back as she’s rendered immobile against the back wall of the shower. The air, though objectively temperate, feels chilly against her wet clothes. 

The air only stops once the shower, and Katie, is completely dry. 

As soon as it shuts off, Katie dizzily drops to her knees and grasps her heart, greedily gasping for air. She’s vaguely aware that Rover beeps pleasantly. One hand in front of the other, Katie moves to stand. The only thing on her mind is getting out of the shower.

“You look only marginally better than you did before bathing,” Haxus comments flippantly. 

Katie screams and falls backwards, failing in her attempt to get up. Fear seizes her heart at him in the washroom  _ with _ her. “What are you--” 

“Making sure the shower is working as intended. I half expected it wouldn’t recognize your species.” Haxus reaches in and pulls her up and out of the shower by her arm. Off balance, Katie falls right into him and she winces when the sharp edges of his armor poke into her painfully, like running into a bedpost. His eyebrows rise. “Your hair looks like the nest of a tocolnek bird.”

“Why do you care?” comes her knee jerk response. Katie realizes two seconds after she spits it out that it may not have been the smartest thing to say, or at least the venomous manner in which she says it.

But Haxus laughs. “I suppose no one can be bothered to see what Earthlings really look like, but that mess of hair will distract you from work.”

A panel in the wall next to the vanity appears by Haxus’ touch. He selects several buttons before dismissing it with a wave. A clank of metal on metal from behind the walls becomes louder and louder, until a tile in the wall opens up like a storage bin, exactly how she’d received her food last night. Haxus reaches in and pulls out… a brush. 

He hands it to her. “Finish up. I have much to show you today.” 

Katie gently tests the bristles as Haxus leaves, closing the door behind him. Her grip on the handle loosens, unaware until now how tightly she’d held it in his presence. Amazed at how similar the tool is to those on Earth, Katie brings it to her hair and begins the tedious mess of straightening her vicious curls. She’s always loved the slight natural curl of her hair, but right now it's as if she has an unmanageable bush on her head. 

Wary of Haxus’ curt timeline, but making an effort to be gentle, Katie makes headway enough to pull out her hairband and then tie her hair back up into her favored ponytail. She stares into the mirror. 

“What do you think, Rover?” she asks idly. Her face scrunches up as her fingers run through the frizziness. It’s not a bad job considering where she started, but... it doesn’t feel like her.

In response, Rover flies over to the door that leads into the office, looking as impatient as a robot without a face can be. Katie sighs and follows.

“First day at work,” she says dispassionately. A curly bang drops into her eyes. “Maybe I need a haircut.” If this is how she must shower every day, it might be for the better.

Rover opens the door and Katie steps into a much more brightly lit office than the one she left. Haxus is busy at the console, minding a cord attached to a smaller tablet. 

“About time,” he says without so much as a glance her way. Disconnecting the cord, he carries the tablet and walks towards her. “This datapad will be your workstation.”

Katie receives the tablet. Lines of code are all it shows on the screen. She scrolls with her finger, finding the code goes on... and on and on and on…

“Look for anomalies like this,” Haxus explains. Up on the main monitor, two pieces of text are highlighted in red. “The signature is the same twice in a row. Alert me when you find one,” he instructs. Without looking back, he focuses on reading the lines of code.

Katie furrows her eyebrows. She’s to search through lines of code for a specific pattern? Surely there’s a code to use to search within another code, she’s written plenty of those herself! Her blood boils at the prospect of Haxus having her do this busy work simply for the sake of doing something. “Isn’t there--”

“Hungry?” Haxus sighs. “I’ve already eaten. What do you want today?”

“That’s not--” her traitorous stomach interrupts. 

The monitor changes to show her order from last night. “Was the dish palatable?” he asks. 

“It was fine,” she responds quickly, followed up earnestly by, “but the code. Wouldn’t it make more sense to develop another code to find it, if we’re looking for a pattern?”

A pouch just like the one the night before pops out from the panel in the wall. Haxus hands it off to her. As Katie is about to insert the straw she sucks in a breath, stiffening as he pets her head. 

“An excellent observation,” he commends a little too sweetly for Katie’s liking, not with the way he’s holding her captive. “You’ll be rewarded for taking this seriously, but in short, no, we cannot create a code. I’ve already tried.”

_ Maybe you’re not smart enough _ , Katie holds back by biting down on the straw and angrily sipping her breakfast.

“The pattern we search for is sentient,” Haxus says, and Katie nearly chokes on her food. “It can’t be found by code, only by eyesight. This will be your primary responsibility.”

“A sentient code?” Katie practically spits out. “ _ How _ ? What are we even looking for?”

“The Voltron Lions,” he replies coolly. “This is the signature for the Red Lion. Were you not listening yesterday in between your tears?”

Katie hisses and bristles, hatred for Haxus and this entire situation refreshed in her heart. “I don’t even know what they are,” she complains with a glare. “Only that they’re some big weapon and you massacred an entire village to get the red one.”

Armed with a smug grin that Katie has grown to loathe, Haxus takes a comfortable seat at the console.“The Lions were created ten thousand years ago, overseen by Emperor Zarkon’s bride, Honerva,” he begins. “With our Emperor piloting the Black Lion, the head, the five Lions combine to form Voltron, one vessel that is said to be the most powerful in the universe.”

Katie gapes, almost unsure she hears right. “Robots... combine... how? That doesn’t make any sense!” Though the analytical side of her can’t make sense of it, a pool of doubt settles into her soul, something telling her that this isn’t the whole story. “Are we talking about the same Zarkon? He’s been alive for  _ ten thousand years? _ ”

Haxus shrugs. “The alchemy that created the Lions is a lost art, that only the witch Haggar and her druids practice these days. Regardless, our immortal Emperor Zarkon and four other Paladins will one day again pilot the Lions. Then nothing in the universe can stand against him. Commander Sendak is already working with the Red Lion to become its master.”

“He can’t just get in and pilot it?” she ponders - the immortality thing she will have to unpack another day. “It’s on his ship and the force field was down when…” Katie trails off, mind unable to think of anything else but the protruding sword from Nelas’ dead body. 

“It doesn’t work like that,” Haxus says in agitation. “The Lions pick their Paladins.”

Katie blinks, a gentle purr rumbling in her mind and momentarily removing all unpleasant memories to focus on her queries. “But that doesn’t make any sense. They’re ships. They can’t be sentient.” Even as she says it, Rover beeps in indignation. Katie realizes that Rover’s A.I. is incredibly advanced, perhaps it is the same for the Lions. 

“The force field is back up,” Haxus growls in annoyance, but then regards her thoughtfully. “It only dropped for  _ you _ .”

A chill runs up her arms. Haxus’ stare is enough, but there’s an underlying fear in her heart that she can’t place and she hates not knowing what that is. “So what does that mean?” she asks defensively, clutching her breakfast pouch a little tighter than necessary.

He doesn’t answer right away, making her feel as though she’s a chicken in a wolf’s den. “I’m not sure,” he finally answers. “Your quintessence pool is incredibly large, it is possible the Red Lion was reacting to that.”

It isn’t the answer to her questions by a long shot, and only manages to prolong her uneasiness. 

“So... the Lions are sentient, and a scientific mystery,” she concludes. “But they are the most powerful weapon in the universe.”

“A fair summation,” Haxus says casually. “Start searching, you have much code to go through.”

Katie stares down at her screen. Even though she scrolls, the indicator to show how far down the page she is doesn’t seem to move at all. To her left, Haxus is fixated on the main monitor, and to her right Rover stares at her expectantly. 

With a heavy sigh, she sits crossed leg on the floor, datapad in her lap, and sets the empty food container beside her. The silence and expectation sits heavy on her heart, and though she’s not alone in the room, she  _ feels  _ alone. Katie knows she has to bide her time but... just sitting here and following orders feels so counter intuitive. 

She wonders if it will start to feel normal.

~~~~~~

Katie’s back hurts. Throughout the day she’s leaned over crossed legged, laid on her stomach, on her side, even stood for a while, all while keeping an eye on the lines of code. The glare of the screen and her tired eyes make the symbols blur together. 

“I have to stop,” she says aloud, weariness dripping all over her voice and pleading for Haxus to understand. “I can’t focus anymore.” 

For the first time since setting her on this task, he faces her... and yawns. “It has been nearly five varga,” he concedes. “Come sit over here and take a rest. I have a meeting shortly, I’ll keep looking until then.”

Brain mush, Katie melts with relief. Immediately setting her datapad aside, she slides over and lets her back rest against Haxus’ chair. Closing her eyes, she thinks perhaps she can just take a short nap.

All relaxation energy tightens into a wound up ball around her shoulders as Haxus places a hand upon her head. He begins to ruffle it, lightly scratching at her scalp. She moves to stand, but inhales sharply as his claws fall over her eyes and his tightened keeps her in place.

“W-what are you doing?” she rasps.

“You’re tired, aren’t you?” he responds casually. “Let this be relaxing.”

He begins to stroke her hair and Katie nearly forgets to breathe. He’s  _ petting  _ her, as if she were an actual pet. 

“I-I think I’m feeling better already,” she says quickly. “I’ll keep searching--”

Haxus’ slow chuckle sends her heart plummeting; he knows exactly what he’s doing. “You work for me, not in a mining colony. Enjoy your rest,” he orders.

Katie does not enjoy her rest. Though her eyes feel better now that they are off the screen, all that’s left in her heart is humiliation. She curls her knees into her arms, trying not to wince each time claws scrape gently across her head. 

~~~~~

When Haxus leaves for his meeting, Katie takes a shower. Unlike her passive experience of that morning, she actively rubs the soap all over her body, but especially in her hair. Anything to get the feeling of claws mucking about in it. 

After the drying cycle is long done, Katie keeps curled in the corner, shivering as she rubs her arms for warmth. There’s a warm blanket in the room, but she can’t find the will to move quite yet. Going into the office means she’ll be always reminded of being less than human. Her nose twitches, and that awful sneezing feeling creeps up on her before she finally lets it out in relief.

Rover enters as if to check on her, hovering back and forth in front of her before finally scanning her with a pink array. It beeps and flies behind her, pressing up under her arm. 

“Okay, I’m getting up,” she relents as she does so. “Is Haxus back yet?”

Rover shakes its body and Katie melts in relief. She isn’t sure she can deal with him right now. 

She takes the brush into the office, first cuddling into the bed and blanket she’s been provided with. Then carefully she begins to work out the tangles in her hair for the second time today. The quiet as she does so is nice, better than the silence when Haxus was here with her. 

Though she hasn’t worked her hair for long, Katie’s arms grow tired and the brush drops into her lap. As she stares down at it, she realizes that lack of arm strength isn’t why she’s tired. This is the first time she’s had the chance to really sit and be at peace with her own thoughts. She is spent emotionally, as if she’s just spent a full weekend at a loud party with only her bullies around her. 

“I can’t stay here, Rover,” she confesses quietly. “It’s only been a day and I’m tired and scared.”

Katie isn’t sure what she expects the little drone to do, but gently pushing her head to lie down is not one of them. It’s a bit uncomfortable with Rover’s sharp corners, so Katie pushes back in kind. “Not that kind of tired, Rover,” she smiles, heart warmed by the thoughtfulness of a robot, though her muscles strain a bit to do so. “I miss my family and I feel so  _ lost _ . Haxus was right,” she says, eyes focused on the floor, “I don’t know anything.”

Rover sets off a series of beeps, as if selecting the correct code to get into a safe. Then there’s a sharp clicking noise before Rover sends a beam of light onto the wall adjacent to Katie’s bed. On the wall are individual symbols arranged in four horizontal lines. She’s been with her brother to the optometrist too many times to not recognize it.

Katie shifts around in the blanket in awe. “It’s an alphabet!” she exclaims. “And you have a projector!” Excitement builds in her heart as she considers the possibilities. “Rover, what else can you show me?”

Dutifully, Rover shows a picture of the Red Lion, followed by similar builds and different colors, then finally a robot clearly made of all five of them. 

Just like in her vision. Katie frowns. How could she have known that’s what Voltron looked like before now?

But she won’t get an answer about that from Rover. Even so, there are plenty of things she  _ can _ learn. Katie sets her jaw rigid, hands clenched in determination. She will not be caught off guard again.

“Show me everything about the Galra Empire.”


	5. An Apple a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stress isn't healthy.

Katie has fallen asleep in the kitchen this time, dreaming of horrible purple aliens who force slaves to fight to the death for sport and decimate planets for fun. She dreams of an emperor devoid of kindness and a woman in robes with terrifying powers akin to magic. 

Her mother is cooking soup again. Katie groans. As delicious as her family’s chicken noodle soup recipe is, it's inefficient to eat and work at the same time. So the only time her mother makes it is when she’s sick, and if she’s sick she can’t do anything anyway.

Katie coughs, throat itchy and sore. More worryingly, her lungs rattle as if something is loose inside of them. 

“It seems I worked you a bit too hard yesterday. You Earthlings are rather fragile creatures.”

Katie chokes at Haxus’ voice, eyes flying open and clutching her blanket tighter. It only partially provides the false sense of security she seeks with her captor looming over her with a bowl in his hand. She coughs again, harder this time, and whatever it is in her lungs works its way up to her mouth. Katie knows it's the worst thing to do and she’ll end up with pneumonia if she keeps this up, but she swallows. She is not going to spit up phlegm in front of her kidnapper.

It’s bad enough she really, actually, is sick.

He sets the bowl of steaming liquid down on a table at her side, one that definitely hadn’t been there the night before, and sits himself down on the bed. Katie freezes, curling herself into as much of a ball underneath the blanket as she can. Leaning over, he pats her head. Katie can’t find the energy to squirm away from it.

“She needs rest, Haxus,” comes a new voice. From around the corner, another Galra who seems even taller than Haxus, stands. He stands out, his skin - or is it fur? - a much lighter purple than Haxus and Sendak, and with plenty of white. Katie wonders if he’s older, and then her mind begins to go down the rabbit hole of questions about Galra aging. 

How old is Haxus? How long is a Galra lifespan?

What happens to  _ her _ if Haxus dies? Somehow, she doubts Sendak will simply let her free. 

“Yes, yes, plenty of fluids and rest,” Haxus dismisses. “As long as it is nothing life threatening.”

“I’d like to do a proper medical exam now that she is awake,” the other Galra says. “Any new species must be thoroughly vetted.” Any relief Katie was feeling at his interrupting of Haxus now fills her with dread. She wants to get up and run, but Haxus acts as a physical barrier, and her body is weak, weighed down by the illness she’d fervently hoped she wouldn’t catch.

Haxus stands but Katie can’t quite find herself relaxing. “I need to have a chat with the commander. Do as you need, Ulaz.”

Ulaz doesn’t respond, a neutral and professional air about him. Katie doesn’t trust it, not after Haxus tricked her into coming with him in the first place. 

“I’m okay!” she rasps, heavy coughs betraying her. She does not want any alien medicine, especially not after this doctor has just admitted she’s an unknown species to them. “It’s just a cold. I can sleep it off...”

Ulaz comes only close enough to be able to reach out to touch her with his long arms, yet he keeps them to himself. “Your lungs are tight. I have already administered some quintessence to speed your recovery. I thought you might sleep better with him out of the room.”

Quintessence, he gave her. Life force, not alien medicine. Though relieved, Katie finds her jaw slack, staring up at the Galra in disbelief. “You helped me?” A light of hope ignites in her heart. Despite Zarkon, there may be some Galra who are not like Haxus or Sendak.

“I am a physician,” he tells her. “And you are my patient. You have been here for two quintants. You are stressed. I cannot order your master to be gone all the time, but I will suggest he work elsewhere for the time being.”

Her stomach turns queasy with  _ how  _ he refers to Haxus, but her heart rate slows from its racing pace to hear he may keep his distance. “Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I’ll take it,” she says as she burrows into her pillow. 

Ulaz is silent for a moment, before he says, “Haxus tells me your natural levels of quintessence are quite high. I drew some of your blood for testing... pray it is low.”

The genuine-sounding empathy gives her pause, unravelling from her pillow. “I don’t - what do you mean?” Katie asks hesitantly

“If you are found to carry a high amount of quintessence, the witch will take interest,” Ulaz explains. “You will prefer to be in Haxus’ custody over hers.”

Katie’s illness-impaired mind struggles to keep up. It isn’t until Ulaz stands to leave that it clicks. “Wait, I could be taken somewhere else?”

“Haxus is a lieutenant,” Ulaz explains. “Though he serves as right hand to one of Zarkon’s favored commanders, Haggar is the highest authority aside from the Emperor himself.”

She could be handed off like an item, without any discussion of what she might prefer. It makes her heart heavy, knowing that everything is outside of her control. “I don’t want it,” she says swiftly as Ulaz walks to the door. “I don’t want to be special to Haxus, the Lions, or the witch.” Tears well up in her eyes, heart aching for home. 

Ulaz stops in his tracks, back to her. “The Lions?”

Katie inhales, dragging in snot against her better judgement. “Haxus thinks my quintessence resonates with the red one, at least. Just because the shield came down for me when I was running from Nelas.”

It occurs to Katie only later that Ulaz doesn’t know who Nelas is, nor does he probably care, but Katie refuses to forget his name or the look of surprise and recognition he gave her right before Haxus ran him through. 

“The Red Lion... lowered its shield for you?” Ulaz presses.

Katie coughs, feeling the mucus in her lungs now. “Yeah. It roared and saved my life.”

The doctor is persistent, his tone demanding the truth. “Did it let you inside?”

Katie shakes her head. “No.”

Ulaz stares for a long moment. Katie rubs the fabric of her blanket between her fingers to bear the uncomfortable silence. “Do not make a habit of telling that story,” he finally advises. “I will see you again if you are ill.”

He exits, locking the door behind him. Rover beeps, dimming the lights in the room, leaving Katie to think she might have missed something important in between the lines.

~~~~~~

Katie adjusts the recently polished breastplate in her arms, cleaning cloth barely hanging out the holes for arms and torso and dragging along the floor behind her. Her lungs rattle with each breath as she tries to keep up with Haxus’ long strides around each corner. She closes her eyes for a long moment, trying to ease the massive throbbing in her head. 

It’s been two days and Katie is only feeling marginally better. 

Ulaz’s orders for bed rest were helpful in keeping Haxus out of his own office while she rested. Katie longs for the sleepy daze she’s spent most of her time in, just lucid enough to know she’s still on this awful ship, but sick enough not to care about anything other than her pillow, blanket, and the wash bin that she can throw up the gross, yellowish phlegm into. Instead, she forces her eyes to come into focus while carrying Haxus’ armor. 

One foot in front of the other, she repeats to herself. Haxus’ orders for her to follow is the only thing keeping her remotely upright and moving, focused on the immediate task assigned to her and not how much she just wants to drop to her knees and slump against the wall. 

This isn’t home where she’s wrapped in blankets and her mother is near with a cup of soup and the ability to sneak in reading her favorite book when she should be sleeping. Here, her one and only job is to do what Haxus orders  _ whenever  _ he orders it. She’s only here for his benefit, regardless of how miserable she feels physically. 

She surrendered. That means there’s no curing how emotionally miserable she is.

She means to ask if they’ve arrived, but the ‘are’ in ‘are we there yet’ comes out as a barely audible wheeze, the word lost in the back of her throat. Her nose bumps sharply into the armor, her forward progress stopped abruptly. Katie gives in to her body’s cry for help and stumbles to the floor, armor clanking out of her arms. 

Haxus watches her with mild disappointment. He carries a bundle of weapons, swords and rifles and clawed gauntlets, wearing his off duty clothes. “You really are still ill.”

“I’m tired,” she whines, sounding as desperate as she feels. “Do I really have to be here?"

“You’ll never learn otherwise,” he says far too casually for the way it causes her heart to sink and head to drop in resignation. 

“There are plenty of places for you to rest once inside,” he says a moment later, which gives Katie the energy to raise her head. Behind Haxus is a larger than typical door. He presses his palm against a panel on the wall and the door opens with a whoosh. Sparing a backwards glance, he orders, “Up.”

Katie gathers the strength to do so, scooping up the boots and leg armor, grabbing the breastplate with the tips of her fingers and dragging it backwards. 

The room is massive and instantly reminds her of the recreational areas at the Galaxy Garrison. To her left, there’s a self-service bar with stools and a high counter, along with several tall tables for standing. There are large purple chairs and sofas that look oh so comfortable right now dotted all over an area the size of a gymnasium, some with tables between them as if for board games. 

But the most amazing awe-inspiring part is the floor to ceiling window that opens Katie’s eyes to the universe. The breastplate falls from her fingers as she stares, heart both in awe at the beautiful display of stars in the deep dark and torn in half at the unfamiliar constellations. Nebulae bathed in deep reds and yellows float on green rivers of particles from a nearby ringed planet. 

It’s gorgeous; the most she’s seen of the true wonders of space since leaving Earth’s atmosphere. 

With a shuddering breath, she wishes she were seeing this with Mom and Dad and Matt on their own ship, not because she’s been ripped from them. 

“This is the officer’s lounge,” Haxus explains, snapping Katie’s attention to where he’s opened one of several lockers along the far wall of the room. It’s next to an area roped off with buzzing magenta energy, with crates organized by color on the adjacent wall. He places a rifle into the locker, the last of the weapons in his arms, before he shuts the door and walks back towards her. “In the days before the sentries this room would be full of junior officers, now the commander and I are the only ones who make use of it.”

The echo of his voice across the room rings loud in her ears though he’s a distance away. She closes her eyes and takes a calming breath, but when finished her senses are just as distorted as before. Compared to the cramped office she’s lived in until now, the wide open space is near overwhelming. Mildly, she’s curious about the history of the sentries, but the focus to ask even one question isn’t there. 

Staring off into space seems the far nicer option right now. And sleep. When she sleeps, she can pretend she’s back on Earth, enjoying the company of her family and preparing to take the pilot entrance exam for the Galaxy Garrison. 

The door hisses open behind her. “We arrive in two movements,” Sendak announces. He ignores her, heading for the locker area and selecting a sword that Katie thinks has to be as long as she is tall. 

Haxus snorts in amusement. “Ranveig again?”

Katie drops the rest of the armor as Sendak roars and slashes the lockers clean in two with the sword. The strength and the quickness to swing snaps her brain into enough clarity to slowly back away. 

Shaky hands find one of the many chairs and her weakened legs fail her as she takes to heart Haxus’ earlier words, unable to properly enjoy the comfort of the cushion. There are only sentries here. She is not only here alone, but alone at the whims of two cruel warriors. 

“If he weren’t holed up on his base like a coward, I’d have his head,” Sendak growls in annoyance.

Haxus takes a sword of his own off the wall. “Need to vent?”

Sendak’s snarl and rigid posture relaxes as he regards Haxus. “I could kill you.”

Part of Katie wishes he would.

“My duty is to see to my commander’s well-being,” Haxus replies. With impressive coordination, he twists the hilt of the sword with one hand. “A quick spar, we can both use the exercise.” 

Katie backs into the chair, glad to be out of the spotlight for now. Her heart bounces against her chest realizing they’re about to fight and there is no one around to stop them if things were to get out of hand. 

Sendak’s response is to charge, mechanical arm reaching. Haxus has slid out of the way by the time Sendak’s claw buries into the floor with a mighty crash. 

Being in the room suddenly doesn’t feel very safe. 

For several passes Sendak charges and swings and grabs with a ferocity and danger that catches Katie’s heart in her throat. Haxus is nimble enough to avoid them all, darting skillfully, his own sword meeting Sendak’s metal arm. The power of the clash reverberates through the room, sending Katie deeper into the chair. 

Her arms feel weak like wet noodles each time alien metal meets blade. There’s a power in the strikes from the both of them that she can’t possibly hope to replicate with her tiny arms. Blade and claw both dig into the floor with such force and ease as the bout continues. Haxus and Sendak fight with terror and ferocity and they are  _ allies _ . 

Katie holds her arms in a false sense of security. What do they look like when fighting an enemy?

Or a disobedient prisoner. 

Katie forces herself to breathe as the spar continues. Looking objectively, the fight isn’t that interesting, the two of them simply go at each other with all their strength, using angles for leverage. The longer it goes on, the more Katie is at ease that none of it is directed towards her. As long as it can stay that way, for her to remain unassuming and a non threat, then at least she can stay unharmed physically. If she’s okay physically, she keeps a chance open to escape if it were to present itself. 

Sendak slams Haxus into the floor and as if a switch is flipped, they both stop, chests rising and falling rapidly.

“You are right, as usual,” Sendak remarks gruffly. “I feel much better.”

“A good fight clears the mind,” Haxus says as Sendak offers him a hand up. He winces, holding his side, the same aggravated from the crash. “Urgh, that will hurt in the morning.” Katie perks up ever slightly - her captor isn’t so invincible after all. 

Sendak snorts. “Take the day off. There is time enough to settle on a strategy for the next conquest.” Katie’s heart grows cold as he looks her way. “You’ve hardly had time to break in your new pet.”

Any comfort in Haxus’ mortality is dashed away. Adrenaline pumps through her veins for self preservation. 

Haxus laughs. “You heard him, Girl. Back to the office, there’s more armor to clean once you’re feeling better.”

It’s the prospect of finally getting to go to bed that gets her legs moving, Katie tells herself, not fear. 


	6. In for the Long Haul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie realizes she's going to be here for a while. 
> 
> Warnings: Katie's period shows up for plot reasons in this chapter and Haxus is disturbed like a responsible Galra adult.

“Coming to this sector is such a mistake!” Haxus complains as he storms into the office.

Rover turns off the projection of the latest lesson and hovers into Katie’s lap as she sits on the bed with the blanket securely around her. Two weeks later, Katie is finally close to feeling one hundred percent. Her entire cold felt like passing allergies on steroids, which makes sense as she’s in a completely different environment, even with its lack of greenery. She’s been productive though, figuring out the Galra alphabet and some basic sentence structure. With Haxus working on the bridge most of the time, she rests easily, learning from Rover’s depository of knowledge when bored and absorbing what she can while not feeling well, and the artificial gravity lets her skip a little higher than she is used to.

Katie debates staying silent, but Haxus paces the room as if he wants a response. He wants to  _ vent _ . And she’s a captive audience. “Why is it so bad?” she asks, bracing for the tirade.

“Because this is General Ranveig’s territory,” Haxus responds immediately, confirming her suspicion. “He has been at odds with the Commander for deca-pheobs. Already they’ve come to blows. Ulaz has sent us on a fool’s errand,” he finishes, sitting down at the console angrily.

Katie’s heart skips a beat in curiosity. Though she knows Haxus doesn’t mentally include her in his use of the word ‘us’, she still chews her lip wondering why Ulaz has sent them here. Were his parting words meant to prepare her for something? “Maybe Ulaz didn’t know?” she offers instead, squashing her need to ask more directly. Though Haxus was there when the Red Lion saved her, it’s best to let him forget it per Ulaz’s advice. 

She isn’t trusting Haxus ever again.

“Their feud is rather famous,” Haxus dismisses her suggestion. “If I had known this as the origin of the refined quintessence, I’d have advised Commander Sendak to let someone else handle it.”

Katie makes a mental note to have Rover bring up everything on quintessence later. The fact that she apparently has so much inside of her, and the fact that it can be refined piqued her interest. “Maybe--” her words are interrupted by a massive yawn. “Maybe whatever you need to do will go quick.”

“Negotiations alone will take varga, and quiznak knows Sendak won’t bend. I’ll have to smooth things over with his second in command before the two of them escalate.” Haxus stands. “Are you well enough to come? Krolia has always had a soft spot for cute things, your presence may help.”

Katie wants to admit she’s used to it, but whenever he so flippantly refers to her as a possession, she freezes, heart squeezed of all previous joy up until that point. It would please her so much to say no, but this is something she can potentially use for her eventual escape. If she can use this opportunity to gain Haxus’ trust as obedient, gain freedoms, learn the layout of the ship, then she will force herself to come with. “Let me use the toilet and I’ll come,” she promises.

“Be quick, I want to get this over with.”

Rover springs into action and Katie follows after. She sits down in relief, not remembering drinking a ton of water the night before.

Time stops when she discovers that there’s  _ blood _ .

So caught up in her imprisonment, not once had Katie stopped to consider what she’ll do when her period arrived. 

“No. No no no,” she whispers in horror, realizing she has to tell  _ Haxus  _ about this. There is no way she can go through this every month and just deal with it on her own.

Several loud raps on the door echo through the bathroom. “Are you finished yet?” Haxus asks impatiently. 

“No!” she answers truthfully. Katie sucks in a shuddering breath for courage. “I’m menstruating!”

There’s silence on the other side. Her cheeks warm at the prospect that she might need to explain the human female reproductive cycle to the alien who kidnapped her. 

“ _ What _ ?” Haxus rages in answer. “You’re not even fifteen deca-phoebs old!”

“Thirteen years,” she supplies perhaps unhelpfully. “It’s no big deal, I’ve dealt with it for a while already, I just need--”

“You are a child!” Haxus interrupts incredulously. “Why are you showing signs of being reproductive?”

Katie’s cheeks burn and she is so glad that she hides in the bathroom. “It’s normal. Can I  _ please  _ just have some pads or something?”

“Do not move from where you are,” Haxus orders, then mutters, his words becoming more incomprehensible as his footsteps pound away from the door. “Of all the abhorrent things in the universe…”

Amid her embarrassment, Katie wants to ask if kidnapping her was still worth it. To hear him regret it would be so sweet and yet also so agonizing to her ears. 

There will never be a time when she doesn’t hate her situation, but Katie has found peace that her family must know she is missing and that she can do nothing to inform them of where she is. It hurts every time she thinks about it, but it's all she can do to mentally prepare herself for whatever Haxus has in mind for her to do, whether that’s continuing to search the lines of code, or sit at his side like a trophy. She has to forget the fact that she’s missed so many days of school, or stop imagining how distraught her parents must be, or how big of a news story her disappearance is, how there will be no more graduations or birthday dinners. She can’t think about how if she can’t escape soon, she won’t be able to join the Galaxy Garrison with the rest of her family.

Otherwise she will go mad within her own mind.

She waits on the toilet for so long that her legs go numb, terrified to even stand up and walk around. For all she knows, she’ll have to clean up whatever mess she makes. Katie begins to wonder if Haxus plans to just keep her in here for the entire week.

Eventually a softer knock graces the door, still firm, but decidedly less angry or annoyed. “May I come in?” It's the first female voice other than her own that she’s heard since she arrived on this ship. Her heart is a mix of trepidation and relief, Haxus just found someone to get her the products she needs. Katie decides to give some trust to the voice. Though it's hard to tell exactly how someone she’s never met will behave, there’s still the opportunity for something better than the unknown brings. 

This meeting still needs to be taken with a grain of salt. She’s only met three Galra so far in her life, and at least the doctor wasn’t demeaning. Katie scrambles some tissue and dresses. “I’m decent,” she calls back, hating that her bar for decent behavior towards her is so low already. 

The door opens to reveal a Galra woman just as tall as Haxus. Her two toned hair is the first Katie has seen so similar to her own. She carries herself with authority, but as soon as she lays eyes upon Katie, freezes. It’s only for a half moment, but there are wide eyes and mouth agape before the woman snaps to business.

“Haxus was right,” she says gently. “You are awfully young.”

In any other circumstance, Katie might tout that her mind is leagues ahead of most kids her age, and that she isn’t a little kid anymore, she’s practically a high schooler. But surrounded by adults and in a very alien environment, Katie doesn’t mind so much. If anything, she hopes it garners sympathy. 

Katie tries a smile as she confirms, “I’m Katie.”

The woman relaxes most of her body, but her shoulders stay tense as she steps forward. “My name is Krolia,” she says curtly, totally business-like. Reaching into her belt, she produces a small, square shaped container. “This will absorb the bleeding. Once Haxus gets over his shock, he’ll order a new one for you each month.”

Katie takes a deep breath as she takes it, the device fitting in the palm of her hand. Krolia speaks as if she, like Ulaz, expects her to remain here. “Space tampon,” she says with a chuckle. It is funny how similar Earth is with the rest of the universe, how needs are the same, but the humor doesn’t quite reach her heart. “Haxus is grossed out about this - like the boys at school,” she adds in hopes that she will laugh.

She doesn’t. She wants her mother, and to be able to talk about how weird periods are and get pampered when she’s cramping. Not a male alien who is giving her only the basic comforts and treats her like a novelty to own. 

Katie stares at the space tampon during a longer than comfortable silence, tears welling up in her eyes. 

“I worked with Haxus on this ship for a time after our academy training,” Krolia finally says as she kneels closer to Katie’s eye level, her voice much softer than before, more conversational and less professional. “He was always such an overachiever in both martial and mental prowess.” She smirks. “It's good to know that someone can finally throw him off enough to act like an immature child.”

The laugh comes much easier this time, heart lighter knowing that she can make such a difference. “I’d rather go home,” she says honestly. 

“Where is home?” Krolia asks.

“Earth,” Katie says as her voice wavers at just the memory of her planet, words pouring out before she can stop them or consider what Krolia may do with this information. She’s only known this woman for a minute, but just the fact that she asks about Earth dooms Katie to trust her, whether the question is genuine or mocking. “It’s mostly water, and I lived in a desert, but most of the landmass is green and it's beautiful. My mom studies plant genetics and she always said the biodiversity is paralleled only to insects. I wanted a green daisy one time and she cultivated it for me by the next year and--”

“You clearly love your mother very much,” Krolia interrupts gently. “How did you come to be here?”

Anger burns in her belly at the mere thought. Snarling at the memory, she swallows her tears and jumps at the chance to vent to someone who has cared to ask. “Haxus crashed. I helped him fix his ship. I was so excited to meet an alien and the tech was so advanced I wanted to learn everything. I didn’t know he would…” she looks down at her cuffs, “that he would do this.”

Krolia’s eyes narrow. “Katie,” she says, very gently taking her hands in her much larger ones. It’s so reminiscent of when Haxus placed the cuffs on her that Katie nearly jerks to pull away, until Krolia continues in a voice that compels her to listen, “this is very important. Did Haxus find anything on your planet?”

Katie takes a hand back to wipe her tears away, gears in her mind turning. “Why do you want to know? He submitted a report on it a week ago.” Krolia  _ should  _ have access to that report. Unless infighting took greater precedence here than being one Empire.

“I’d rather hear it from you,” Krolia insists. 

It still strikes Katie as strange that Krolia  _ wants  _ to hear from her. Katie has only been in Haxus’ custody for a couple of weeks, but Ulaz’s strange warning not to speak about her quintessence and now Krolia’s questions about her home planet gets the gears in her mind working. Katie doesn’t dare hope, but if the Galra are not as unified as she’s come to believe, then perhaps there is some hope for her yet to go home. After all, humans come in a wide variety of good and bad, why not aliens? It stings that Katie has just had the misfortune of falling in with the really bad. 

“He was looking for the Voltron Lions,” Katie answers. “He said his locator device was damaged though, so I don’t know if he found one or not. He definitely found the Red Lion, but that wasn’t on Earth.”

Krolia’s eyes widen. “The Red Lion was found? Are you sure it wasn’t the Blue Lion?”

Katie can’t help but glare, hurt at her good information being questioned. Though it at least confirms that information in the Galra Empire does not get around quickly despite the advanced technology. “It’s definitely red colored. It’s in the hanger right now.”

It’s now that Katie realizes what’s different about Krolia, besides her gender, from Haxus and Sendak and even Ulaz. Her  _ pupils _ , distinct from the solid yellow eyes of the others, shimmer with  _ fear _ . 

But almost as soon as Katie sees it, Krolia has a stoic, professional look back to her face. 

“Katie,” she says gently, taking her hand in kind. “Thank you. And I’m sorry that you must endure this.”

Katie frowns, frustration building. “Ulaz was talking like that too. And so did the rebels. Everyone is sorry for me but no one can  _ help  _ me,” she says with some bite, disappointment beginning to be overwhelming, “I just want to go home.”

Krolia squeezes her hand, and when Katie closes her eyes it's as if her own mother is offering her comfort. “You are the prisoner of a lieutenant with a lot of leverage in the Empire,” she says carefully. “Do not do anything to endanger yourself or your planet.”

Her heart pounds in her ears at the implication. “I have to do what Haxus says... or he’ll conquer Earth,” she surmises with a shaky breath. Just as he had threatened in the engine room. Before, she hadn't quite known how serious he was about that, but Krolia bringing it up as a possibility confirms that not only is he quite serious, but likely is a common occurrence. Katie gulps. Sendak has acted as if he’d destroyed civilizations hundreds of times. 

“Has he hurt you?” Krolia asks instead of answering the obvious, a hard edge to her eyes that indicates that she is very serious about Katie’s answer.

Katie opens her mouth to do so, but pauses, really thinking. Aside from rough handling, he’s not laid a hand on her except to… pet her. “Not physically,” she finally answers. Though the emotional distress continues to pile up every moment he’s in her presence. 

“So long as he believes you are under his control, he won’t,” Krolia says. “Haxus is prideful, don’t poke at it.”

Katie bites her lip. It’s only been a short time, but she wants no more of it. “You seem nice. Can’t you... sneak me out or something?”

A long, quiet sigh escapes Krolia’s lips as she closes her eyes. When they open, they are downcast and sympathetic. “If I were to succeed in something like that, you would find yourself in the hands of General Ranveig,” Krolia tells her frankly. “You’d rather be with Haxus.”

Katie clenches her teeth. “Everyone keeps saying that it could be worse. I don’t want it to be this at all!”

“We can’t always be in control of the situation the universe throws at us,” Krolia says curtly, eyes hard again. “I have somewhere I’d rather be as well, but I do my job so that my family remains safe. You must do the same.”

Krolia isn’t going to help her, not in the way she wants anyway, Katie realizes as her heart sinks. “Thank you for the tampon,” she says with a bowed head, a gesture she sorely realizes she needs to get used to. At the very least she can remember her manners since Krolia came all this way onto a hostile ship to solve one of her - an alien child’s - problems. “And…” she gulps, looking Krolia in the eyes for her kindness, desperate for it, “thank you for listening to me. You sound like my mom.”

Krolia smiles, and Katie relaxes into a smile of her own. “I am honored to hear that.”

~~~~~~~

Krolia’s visit has lifted Katie’s spirits, if only a little bit. After being ill and bedridden (when Haxus didn’t need her to clean anything, anyway), past the worst of her period, and sitting and watching code all day, she’s antsy to  _ do  _ something. 

Gym class isn’t her favorite subject, but that’s mostly because dodgeball is the perfect excuse for bullies to get a cheap shot in on her and disguise it as competition, not because she dislikes exercise. And after being stuck in the officer’s wing since coming here Katie is itching to run, jump, or throw.

Katie kicks a nonexistent rock out of the way as she stomps back to Haxus’ office from the lounge. All the weapons are locked off, so, so much for that. Rover refuses to operate the different modes of the sparring ring, so she can’t even puzzle her way through a holographic maze. 

“Urgh,” she exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. The back of her hand slams painfully against Rover, who beeps shrilly and in indignation. 

“Ow!” Katie hisses, cradling the injured hand until the pain subsides. “I love you as you are, Rover, but sometimes I wish you were a bit more cuddly.”

The image of Rover dressed in a teddy bear suit makes Katie snort. It recharges next to her as she sleeps, so it might as well be. Unfortunately, remembering that in the morning it’d inevitably turn back into her warden makes her heart sink. Nothing she says, does, or thinks ever truly lets her escape this reality. 

She sighs, turning to face the drone. “Now, what? I’m not a robot, Rover, I have to do some kind of physical activity.”

Predictably, Rover is no help, hovering around the door to Haxus’ office. No doubt to urge her to continue looking through lines of code. 

Katie bites her lip, frustrated. Her legs itch to move, and her heart wants to go in the opposite direction Rover indicates. 

Slowly, a grin tugs up her face. Rover is her guard and will follow her anywhere. Time to test that and have a little fun at the same time. She reaches out and taps Rover’s bottom side. 

“Tag, you’re it!” she declares in delight, then turns and runs down the hallway, back towards the lounge. 

As she makes distance between the two of them, Rover’s panicked beep echoes through the corridors. Katie laughs, running the entire route, stopping only to slump her back against the locked door to the officer’s lounge and catch her breath. She’s exhausted, but Katie hasn’t felt this good in over a month. 

Rover zooms around the corner moments later, its purple markings glowing brightly in what Katie presumes is anger. That’s funny too. 

“You,”  _ huff _ , “have to,”  _ huff _ , “tag me,” she says with a grin.

The drone makes a whirring sound that spells out confusion. If it wasn’t her guard, the way it tips its body to the side would be too adorable. 

“Like this,” Katie explains. She straightens to full height and jumps to Rover’s side. Gently, she bops her forehead against Rover’s ‘eye’. “You just have to tap me, that’s a tag. Now I’m it,” she emphasizes, pointing to herself. “I have to chase and tag you now.”

Rover doesn’t move. 

Her arms flop to her sides in exasperation. “You have to run away from me,” she explains. “And I have to catch you.”

The drone continues to hover in place.

Katie frowns as her spirits do the same, chiding herself for unrealistic expectations. “You...aren’t programmed for any kind of fun, are you?”

The drone makes a single beep, as if asking, “what?”.

“Okay, we’ll try something different,” she relents. “Bae Bae is a little older, but she still plays with me all the time. And I’ve never had a robot companion before - I just have to figure out what you  _ do  _ understand!” 

Katie taps a finger against her chin and hums in thought. “You have a lot of movements programmed into you for having a rigid body.” She gasps, excitement surging up into her smile. “We can learn a secret handshake! I’ve never had a secret handshake, because I’ve never had a close enough friend to have one with,” she adds thoughtfully. Her mouth squishes off to the side, eyes narrowed. “And I share a coding language with Matt and Dad, so we didn’t really need a handshake, it never came up. But,” she exclaims in excitement, “you and I can have one since we’re gonna be together for a while. Best friends?” she asks hopefully.

If ever a robot could look puzzled, Rover is.

“Yeah, friends!” Katie pushes. “Like, Haxus is your boss,” she explains. “But he doesn’t do fun things with you. But you can with me!”

Rover beeps three times in varying pitches. Then, a recording of Haxus’ voice begins to play. “ _ Your one and only duty is to see to the girl’s health and well being, including ensuring she does not attempt to escape the ship. _ ” A click and Rover nods exaggeratedly, likely expecting that to be the end of the conversation.

Katie grins wickedly, preening over getting the upper hand. “See, even Haxus said so.” She crosses her arms. “Part of my well being is making sure I have some fun!”

The elongated beep resembles a very long and surprised ‘whaaaaaat?!’. 

Satisfied, Katie claps her hands together. “Okay, since I’m the one with actual hands, I’ll start. How about…” she taps her left hand against one of Rover’s corners and then her right hand against another corner. “Then I’ll turn like this,” she twirls ninety degrees, “and put my elbow out like this - now you tap it!” 

It takes Rover a long moment, but as its purple lights dim to a more lilac color, it dips and taps her elbow accompanied by the saddest most resigned beep Katie has ever heard.

Katie takes it as a win.

“Awesome!” She flips to face the drone and raises her hand up high. “Now we end on a high five.”

Rover taps that too, as reluctantly as a robot can.

“Yes!” Katie jumps and cheers, arms raised in exuberance. “Secret handshake buds!”

The service drone emits a long beep that feels like an eye roll. It glides around to her back and nudges her forward, back towards Haxus’ office. Katie groans at its persistence to keep her on task as she stumbles forward and then turns to face her guard.

“One more thing,” she pleads. “Then I’ll get right back to the code, I promise.” Even with Rover’s reluctance, being productive doing what  _ she  _ wants to do is still exhilarating. She’ll savor what freedom she has, and be thankful she’s not confined to a cell. 

As Rover seems to contemplate, Katie searches her mind for what she can possibly do that Rover wouldn’t feel out of its comfort zone, but gives her something to do. All Rover does is nudge her, open locks, and teach her history, language, and current events via its protector--

The projector!

Nearly as soon as Rover beeps amicably, Katie knows what she will ask. “Rover, can you project a bunch of squares? A column of ten, and alternate whether there’s one or two in a row?”

Like her nightly self-imposed lessons, Rover’s purple beam of light projects onto the floor. Rather than the usual Galra cultural tradition, Katie is treated to a hopscotch course. 

“Perfect!” Katie decrees, holding out a hand. “Stay right there, Rover. I’ll show you what you do!”

It’s silly, and very elementary school of her, but it solves Katie’s exercise problem as she dutifully hops through each square, a grin so wide that it feels permanently etched on her face. As quick as she made it to the end, she hops back to where Rover hovers. 

“Ta Da!” she celebrates, throwing her hands up in the air and allowing her breath to catch up. “Fun, right?”

In response, Rover drops the projection. 

Her arms flop to her sides. “C’mon, Rover. That wasn’t enough time at all!”

Rover beeps once, sternly, before projecting the hopscotch squares again and Katie gets the message. One more run.

Well, it's better than nothing. 

“Okay, I’ll make it a speed run,” she promises Rover. Setting up like a sprinter, she eyes the course and sticks out her tongue. A perfect run and she’ll speed her way all the way back to the office. That should satisfy her body for now. 

“Three...two...one...go!” 

With a leap, she concentrates on hopping into each square. As she lands on one foot on the last, she briefly turns back to Rover. “Last one to the office is a rotten egg!” Then she turns and steps into a run, grinning at Rover’s surprised beeps.

She doesn’t get two steps before her momentum is not only stopped, but reversed. Katie falls to her bum with a yelp. She has half a mind to say something snappy, but her eyes find that those are not Haxus’ legs. 

Sendak scowls down at her, face otherwise neutral. “Watch yourself, child,” he warns gruffly. 

All of the good vibes Katie has developed while playing are washed away in an instant. With the massive form of the commander looming before her in the flesh, she can no longer push aside the fact that she is still a prisoner here. 

Katie scrambles to her feet and steps out of Sendak’s path, hands clasped behind her back. “Sorry,” she says simply, head lowered, not too different from how she would apologize to running into a stranger.

It occurs to her, only after he huffs and continues on his way, that the encounter could have been much, much worse. Katie doesn’t know much about him, other than his cruelty while invading planets. Though she works for Haxus, Sendak is his commanding officer, and as such, Katie feels as though she really needs to read into his history. 

She narrows her eyes. That settles that. Tonight's lesson will be whatever of Sendak’s career is in public record. But first, making good on her promise.

Turning to the approaching Rover, she says, “let’s head back. Haxus will probably want me to have made some progress today, huh?” It hurts how normalized this work has become. At the very least, as long as she doesn’t find anything, she’s not really helping Haxus or Sendak do anything awful. 

Rover confirms with a cheerful, if not slightly relieved, beep.

Yet, as Katie wanders back to the office, she wonders what she will do if she ever finds what Haxus is looking for. The idea of another of the Lions in the hands of Haxus and Sendak doesn’t sit well in her stomach. Though Red seems adamant about not helping Sendak hurt people, she didn’t know about the others. 

The door to the office opens to show that Haxus is back from his meeting, something Katie chides herself over not expecting considering she literally just ran into Sendak in the hallway.

His face whips towards her angrily. “Where have you been?”

Katie bites her lip before answering, there’s only so many places she  _ could  _ have gone for him to be freaking out over her possibly escaping. She wants to retort that he could have checked the location of her cuffs, but thinks better of it. “In the lounge,” she says simply. “And out in the hallway. You said I could go anywhere in the wing as long as I didn’t leave and I didn’t. I was getting antsy, I had to get out of this room for a bit.”

That usually explains everything to her parents, but as Haxus twists his face in perplexion, Katie realizes that despite speaking the same language, there is still a language barrier.

“I’ve been sitting for too long,” she explains. “Humans have to get up and move around. Are Galra like that too?” she wonders with a raised eyebrow, head cocked to the side. “One time I sat with my legs crossed for almost five hours playing video games. I was so sore afterwards,” she groans. 

Haxus tchs with an amused grin. “You need exercise,” he deduces, seemingly relieved at such a simple solution. He isn’t wrong, but the way he says it makes her heart tighten. She doesn’t need gym class, just to run around every once in a while. “I have a task for you then.”

Katie gulps, sensing she won’t like whatever he has planned.

By the time she reaches the bowels of the ship for Haxus’ task, her legs are sore. The different sights, new rooms, and just being able to see more of the massive ship is almost worth it, if it weren’t so overwhelming. 

Crates of all sizes and colors haphazardly dot the giant storage room. Haxus wants her to bring a blue one up to the officer’s lounge. 

Rover shines a purple light onto the closest blue crate to the large double doors they’ve just come through. Katie looks up. And up. “How am I supposed to move this?” she exclaims. At twice her height, she dreads to see how heavy it is. After her play earlier and the walk down here, she’s near exhausted as it is. 

In response, Rover narrows the purple flashlight to fit the square control panel on the side of the crate. There’s a distinct click and the crate begins to  _ hover _ . 

Katie reaches out and presses her finger tentatively against it. The crate moves effortlessly. With a sigh of relief, Katie moves around to the other side. “Thanks, Rover. Better get this over with.”

After what seems like hours and with one final push, exhausted and thinned out, Katie slides the crate into the lounge. She falls to the ground in a heap, flipping onto her back in the middle of the floor. Just a few minutes of rest, then she’ll take the short walk back to the office and take a nice long nap. 

“Take it next to the others.”

Katie cries out something between a gasp and a yelp, opening her eyes to see Sendak for the second time today, towering over her with a stern glare. 

She scrambles to her feet, wide eyed and heart beating wildly. “On it!” It takes some extra maneuvering, but she fits it neatly between a yellow and green crate over by the lockers on the sparring ring corner. 

Before she can move, Sendak is on her heels, ignoring her as he opens the bin and fishes out...a blanket.

“Deliver this to Haxus,” Sendak orders as he drops it into her arms. 

Katie gathers as much of the extra large blanket into her arms as possible. “Okay,” she acknowledges, turning to play errand girl once again. 

She chokes as the collar of her shirt tugs against her, Sendak’s claw jerking her backwards. As Katie stumbles through whiplash, she barely hears, “acknowledge me properly, child.”

With a gulp to ease her sore throat, she responds quickly, wanting to just get away from him. “Yes, Sir.”

Sendak’s gaze narrows. “So long as you serve on my ship, I am your  _ commander _ ,” he stresses.

“Yes, Commander,” Katie says swiftly, not daring to take the time and let him elaborate. “Can I go complete my task now?” Please let that be enough, she hopes.

He stares at her for an uncomfortably long time. “Do not think that you will  _ ever  _ be leaving Haxus’ custody,” he says gruffly. “You’d do well to develop better habits.” He turns to examine the contents of the crate once more. “Go.”

Katie doesn’t wait another second, grip tightening on the blanket to still her shaky hands while she tries not to dwell on the permanency of her stay here.

~~~~~~

It’s late in the cycle as Katie tries to sleep, rolling onto her side, afraid she’ll dream of being safe on Earth and wake to disappointment. Blanket curled up to her chin, Rover hums in sleep mode at her back. The recycled air is chilly. Shivering, Katie curls her legs to her chest for paltry relief. 

“Don’t think about the cold,” she whispers, closing her eyes for the fourth time, determined to try and sleep in preparation for whatever is in store for her tomorrow. “Arizona summer, no fannnsss,” she shivers. Not even her shoes help keep her feet warm. 

Perhaps she should just ask Haxus for some more blankets. But doing so means he’ll expect something from her in return, and the last thing Katie wants is a few more hours sitting at his feet getting rubbed on the head. No, she is finally better and acting like a lap dog will only make her ill again. She chooses to suffer. 

Katie gasps at the sudden hiss of an opening door and sits up in alarm. The computers turn on, giving off a pink glow that shows Haxus trudging towards the terminal. He does not wear his armor, simply a black undersuit, which he scratches over on his arm, immediately proceeding to yawn as he sits down heavily at his desk. 

Working late. Katie’s lips scrunch in disgust. Either he’s forgotten she’s trying to sleep in here, or he doesn’t care. 

A spark of an idea begins to form in her brain. If Haxus is tired, he’s off guard. This is her opportunity to obtain valuable information that Rover can’t show her. 

Quiet as she can, Katie drapes her legs over the side of her bed and wraps the blanket securely around her shoulders. Sliding off, her feet hit the floor with a thump. Katie winces as Haxus’ ears twitch and he looks briefly over his shoulder. 

“A light sleeper?” he questions. 

Katie takes a calming breath before stepping forward. You can do this, Holt. “I’m cold,” she replies neutrally. 

Haxus turns his attention back to the monitor, where letters and numbers scroll down the screen, just like her own computer back on Earth when it boots up. “I see.” He inputs a few words into a command line, making a face when the monitor shows the answer to his query. “Oh, excellent,” he grins with some relief. “There is an extra uniform on the ship, I won’t have to go to Janko to procure one.”

As Katie pads closer, he enters a code into a bracelet on his wrist. Rover boots up, making its now familiar series of wake up beeps. Like a puppet-UFO, it zips over to Haxus’ side at the same time she does. 

“Go to cell 5780 and bring back the clothing,” Haxus orders. 

Rover beeps four times like dialing on an Earth telephone as if to remember the numbers. It then zips off, the outside door briefly opening to the dark hallway for it to go through. 

To get a prisoner uniform, Katie deduces. A used one at that. A chill runs down her spine thinking over just  _ how  _ it became available for her. Fingers curl into her shirt, relishing in the feel of the Earth fabric. She doesn’t want to change clothing, or to be rid of the last articles she has of home. 

“I like the clothes I have,” she tries to say bravely. “You don’t have to.”

“I’d been meaning to,” he tells her without any indication he’s understood her underlying meaning. “Like my armor denotes my station, your clothing should show yours.”

Katie folds the blanket closer to her, searching for some kind of comfort that she knows she won’t get from Haxus. The heat from the computer and soft glow in the dark brings her back to enjoying the campfire with her family. If she closes her eyes, she can almost pretend she’s there rather than here. The hum of the computer replaces the crackle of the fire, softly lulling her sleep deprived brain into peaceful rest. 

Katie blinks and shakes her head furiously. Haxus is tired too. She has to use this opportunity. 

Haxus’ low chuckle interrupts her brain’s search for the right question. She eeps, her heart skipping a beat as her captor grabs her shoulder. Katie’s feet trip over each other ungracefully as he slides her closer and her bum falls right into his lap.

With a surprised gasp, Katie pulls away, only for Haxus to give no quarter, holding her right side snug against his chest. She pulls the blanket ever closer when he yawns and places his palm over her head and pats it. Katie whimpers, eyes focused on the floor, and folds her arms and legs in closer as he pets her arm with one hand and lazily types with the other. 

“Go to sleep,” he orders. His voice is soft and inviting, just like it had been on the shuttle, before she knew of his true intentions. It has the opposite effect; she is terrified. 

Nothing more than a house pet. 

“L-let go of me!” she rasps once out of shock, wiggling as she’s able. 

“My lap is warm,” Haxus responds cruelly to her initial complaint. “You’ll stay right where you are. If you insist on staying awake, you can help with this report.”

Katie grits her teeth, closing her eyes to hold back the tears that stem from her overwhelming wish to be anywhere but here. She wishes she were sick again, the space flu so much more preferable to this.

“Has the code been easy to understand?” he asks idly. 

She refuses to speak, puckering her lips together in defiance, thankful she’s not facing him at least. It lasts only moments before sharp claws poke through the blanket, pressing threateningly on her skin. A warning. Her heart beats wildly; he could and would actually hurt her. 

“It’s fine,” she chokes out quickly, heart broken over how easily she gives in to his commands. “I can’t understand it, but I haven’t seen a double character yet.”

Katie winces as he pats her head. “Very good. Any suggestions to improve readability? Aside from learning the language, of course. That comes with time.”

“A different color,” she blurts out. “Dark screen and white letters. Purple doesn’t pop out enough.”

Haxus types away. “Excellent. That’s easily changed for you and for Krolia to take an extra look at. With any luck, this will help Sendak convince her to leave Ranveig’s command and join us once again.”

_ That _ is interesting. Not only for political reasons - because it's interesting that commanders try and take others’ officers - but also for her personal reasons. Having a friendly face here would make life on this ship so much more tolerable. 

Katie stares off to the far wall, imagining spending her days in Krolia’s presence. “I’d like that,” she says softly. 

“I thought you might,” Haxus says casually, patting her head. “As would I,” he adds with an air of wistfulness. “Her assistance has always been indispensable, as when she helped you during,” he makes a noise of disgust, “your cycle.”

A short, empty laugh escapes her lips. How ironic that he so casually treats her like something less than human while simultaneously being grossed out by her period. 

For what feels like hours, Katie sits in Haxus’ lap while he absentmindedly rubs her back and asks her questions over the code. Even with the blanket and her clothes between them, each stroke makes her clench in discomfort. Over time she tries to wiggle and slide out, so that the only thing holding her to his lap is Haxus’ arm firmly around her torso like a fulcrum, her head and legs suspended in the air. The questions continue, and sometimes Haxus reads off whole paragraphs of his report.

“That doesn’t quite sound fearsome enough,” he muses. “What do you think Krolia would be most impressed with; engulfed or consumed?”

Her nose twitches in thought. Consumed sounds like a large monster feeding, engulfed more like taking something into her fists. “Engulfed,” she says. 

Haxus hums. “Janko is rather sick of the food euphemisms,” he agrees. “It’s nearly time to restock, best not to upset the quartermaster.”

Katie sighs. Hands resting limply in her lap and brain feeling like mush, she can easily fall asleep. Out of principle, she refuses to, not until she gets into a proper bed. 

The door to the rest of the ship opens and Rover flies in carrying a neatly folded stack of cloth. Cheerfully it hovers over the keyboard, presenting its findings. 

“Perfect timing,” Haxus praises. 

Gasping, Katie loses her anchor and falls to the floor, barely bracing her short and unimpressive fall. 

A thump on the floor next to her alerts Katie to the cloth suddenly next to her. 

“Get dressed. I should be finished and have this sent by the time you are properly clothed.” His fingers fly across the keyboard. “We are nearly out of range for the encrypted files to send. If Krolia is to read this today, it must go out soon.”

He then acts to ignore her completely. 

Katie releases a heavy sigh, then reluctantly gets to her hands and knees, scooping the bundle of cloth in her arms. Depressingly it is the colors of the Empire. The black material is stretchy like spandex but soft like wool and holds its shape like rubber. On top is a torn purple cloth that lies like a t-shirt. Folding them to her chest, she stands and slogs to the washroom. Rover is there with her to open the door all too cheerfully. 

Once the door is shut behind her, Katie unfurls the cloth, breath held in anticipation as she hopes it is decent and covering. To her relief, the black part is a full bodysuit, and the purple a shirt to cover what she suspects will be a tight fit. 

Shedding her Earth clothes, she feels so exposed. Because of how the shower operates she’s not needed to take them off at all since arriving here, so to be completely naked, though alone besides Rover, is so...vulnerable. 

She dons the suit as fast as possible. 

It is indeed tight fitting, snug around her body and up her neck. It feels comfortable and insulated, like a space suit, actually. The collar rides up far enough to reasonably fit a helmet seamlessly for E.V.A. Convenient to move prisoners through space. The purple rag is merely aesthetic if that is the case.

Katie ruffles the hem of the purple shirt and makes some quarter turns as she inspects herself in the mirror. She frowns, heart sinking. It’s so dreary, she blends in with the rest of the scenery of the ship. Really, truly belonging here. 

She gathers up her Earth clothes and folds them neatly, keeping them close to her chest with the goal of keeping them out of Haxus’ sight. The last thing she wants is for him to make her give them up completely. 

Giving Rover a shhhing motion with her finger, Katie is relieved to find that Haxus is still focused on the monitor. He stares, and then presses a few keys before his attention is back on the screen. He’s proofreading, she realizes. 

Katie takes the opportunity and sneaks across the office to her bed. She slips her Earth clothes under the mattress and sighs in relief. Hopefully they will be safe there. 

“All done?” Haxus says, rather pleasantly pleased. His chair is turned and he half faces her, beckoning her with his hand to come closer. “Come, let me get a good look at you.”

Katie curls her fists, wanting badly to refuse. She exhales slowly, calmly. But Haxus has made his point tonight. She is powerless here. If she wants any freedoms, she must do as he asks. 

So, with a smoldering fire in her heart, she turns around and steps towards him, rigidly keeping herself tight. Fine, she’ll follow to the letter of command, and no further. 

Haxus stands as she stops before him. She forces herself to keep from twitching or reacting at all as he spins her around. “Lucky there was a child size available,” he murmurs. Then says more firmly, “It suits you. Wear it often.”

She takes a deep breath. “Yes, Sir,” she responds in resignation. Often, he said, not all the time, a caveat Katie intends to take advantage of. Already she itches to change back even though these clothes are warmer for her; Katie can’t feel the bite of the cooled air at all.

Yet she still shivers.

She hates this  _ so much _ . 


	7. The Power of Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quintessence, actually, but we'll call it friendship. 
> 
> Aside from the cover, this chapter contains the scenes from Alchemie's beautiful art!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: choking, the threat of breeding/Haxus want to play matchmaker, near death of minor character

Space is beautiful. And also scientifically fascinating.

Which really are the only two things it has going for it right now.

The observation lounge is a part of the officer’s wing, and therefore one of the few places Rover has been permitted to bring her without explicit orders. As Haxus likes to remind her, this is part of her twisted reward to be able to wander about and freely learn. It’s not far from Haxus’ office, and since Sendak and Haxus are the only officers aboard the ship, Katie gets it to herself most of the time, unless the two of them stop for a drink or indulge in a spar. She takes every opportunity to run here, seeking a false sense of security. It must be fifty times larger than Haxus’ tiny office, but it feels far more private with the absence of a running computer and stiff  _ aura  _ of his presence, giving Katie plenty of room to just breathe.

Katie sinks comfortably into one of the large purple chairs that dot the lounge. If only she can escape to another world through these massive cushions. A perfectly comfortable size for Galra, Katie can practically swim in the smooth satin-like fabric. 

Arms crossed on an armrest, Katie curls her legs in and slumps to her side with a heavy sigh. The observation window takes up the entire wall, a single thick glass sheet that offers Katie a view of some of the most breathtaking sights she’s ever seen. Sendak has this ship on course through the Petrolia System, and a destination not disclosed to her. The planet Petrolia itself seems to glow lilac as the light from its sun hits its gorgeous rings. So much like Saturn that the familiarity stabs at her heart, despite the difference in color. 

She misses home, her own galaxy with its own familiar stars. 

“Hey, Rover?” she asks idly. “What’s the population of Petrolia?”

Rover zooms around to the chair next to the one Katie occupies. A big, fat Galra zero displays against the purple fabric.

Katie frowns, leaning over to see better. “Is it not habitable?”

Her answer comes in the form of one Commander Ladnok, followed by several projections, both image and text, of the reptilian-like aliens all cuffed no matter age or gender and loaded onto ships. 

It isn’t surprising, but curse her curiosity. 

Katie takes a deep breath. “Thanks, Rover. I’m good for now,” she thanks the drone. It beeps curtly and hovers nearby as she shivers and slumps back into her seat. No matter how much her heart wishes she hadn’t seen that, her mind is adamant that she needs to know these awful truths. Every one reminds her that one day she must escape this place. 

So far, Haxus seems continually amused by every jitter she makes and every question she can’t help but ask. He obliges an explanation, always, though usually as though he speaks to a small, adorable child or as if it were obvious. Katie has tried to keep her questions for Rover, but it feels as though Haxus drops nuggets of information on purpose for her to latch onto. 

Katie flops to sit cross-legged in the middle of the chair. From the opposite armrest, she grabs the faded binding of a Galra children’s book. Gifted by Haxus for a belated first phoeb anniversary of her...stay here -  _ homecoming _ , he’d called it to her ill stomach - such an item isn’t useful when it’s already stored virtually for anyone to read.

Katie supposes she’s lucky he’s even allowing her to learn the language. If she can’t access any computers, it doesn’t matter if she can eventually actually read Galra code rather than simply look for patterns. 

“The first Kral Zera,” she reads the title aloud. Rover putters beside her as she opens the leather-like binding. Through the gorey illustrations in the book and what Rover has shown her of the ceremony, Katie knows the gist of the story; the first Emperor conquered Feyiv to show his worth for the throne for all Galra factions, creating the altar and requesting challengers to prove it once and for all. From there, it’s connecting the words she does know and asking Rover about the ones she doesn’t. 

Wrinkling her nose at the first two words, she turns to her guard-drone. “I still don’t get ‘Vrepit Sa’. None of the images you show make sense.” 

Rover beeps sound like a whine, once again showing an army of soldiers saluting with a fist over their hearts towards the imposing figure of Emperor Zarkon - of whom Katie hopes to either never meet or teach a lesson for spearheading this cruel Empire, depending on her mood the feeling changes. Then Rover projects a battalion of ground troops in an arrow-like formation running towards an enemy, followed by Zarkon himself thrusting a sword into--

“Okay, stop!” She whips her head away from the image but her mind finishes the scene with Haxus sticking a sword through Nelas. Katie rubs her arms to warm the chills and also to relieve herself of that sticky blood that she can never wash off the feeling of in the shower…

It isn’t until Rover is suddenly in her face that Katie realizes her breaths are heavier than normal. 

Her gaze wanders to the view of space. The position of the ship in relation to Petrolia has changed significantly. Without realizing it, she’s been shaking in fear for longer than just a few seconds. 

And she’s done it all alone. No Mom, no Dad, no Matt to offer words of reassurance or comfort. The odds of seeing them ever again are so slim that she doesn’t have the heart to calculate it...but her mind does anyway. The astronomical odds turn into a sob in her throat. 

“Sorry, Rover, I need a few min--doboshes,” her voice wavers. So many months without a breakdown such as this and now it comes out of nowhere. It can’t stand, she can’t risk Haxus seeing her like this and gloating about it because that will make everything feel even more hopeless than it already is. 

Inhale and exhale, one after another.

She holds back a sob during one shuddering inhale. 

Rover’s lights blink, and without a sound lands gently in her lap. Ulaz and Krolia were both decent and even kind to her, but she’s only seen each of them once. She sees Rover every second of every day, for the little drone to show a soft sort of affection rather than demand she sleep when she needs it or nudge her to browse the code floods her heart with warmth and fills her eyes with tears. Katie snatches Rover into her arms, holding on as if it were a stuffed animal. It doesn’t even protest as her next audible sob breaks the dam holding everything back. She curls in around the robot, resting her forehead on its smooth metal skin, and cries. 

Katie is so sick of being sad, of being helpless, being alone. Oh, she’s never alone by definition, but she’s certainly isolated. 

“I wish Matt was here,” she speaks her heart, immediately rejecting it in her mind. Never would she wish this fate on her brother, or anyone else, no matter how much she wants real companionship. 

“I never thought I’d miss my classmates, Rover,” she continues. “Machines like you were so much better, you don’t call me a nerd like it's a bad thing.” Katie inhales a sniffle. “But I’d rather be in class than here.” She squeezes the bot and tries not to think too hard because she can pretend she’s hugging Bae Bae. 

A chill runs down her spine the moment before she hears Haxus’ too familiar disappointed sigh. 

When had he sneaked up on her?

Rather than make a jest over her sorry condition, his claws descend to her sides, a delicate chain with a pendant between them. 

Then jerks it towards her. 

Katie yelps as her hands fly to the chain, desperate to get it off her neck, heart beating rapidly with a whole new fear that she might die here and now. In an attempt to keep her airways open, she rises to her feet and begins to roll against the back of the chair so that she at least isn’t stuck. 

But her strength is no match for his, she’s kept still, fingers pinching in agony to keep the chain from digging into her throat. “S-stop,” she pleads more than demands. 

And he does stop. Katie falls to her hands and knees on the chair cushion, sucking in as much air as she possibly can. 

All Haxus does is laugh.

He rounds to the side of her chair and pushes her shoulder. Katie’s vision spins with whiplash as her back hits the soft backrest, heart still beating wildly from-- he could have easily killed her. Again. 

“I got you a gift,” he begins rather proudly. “You seem rather depressed lately and I have some unfortunate news, so I got a replacement for the necklace you lost.”

Anger replaces sadness, but tears still hang in her eyes as she scowls back at him. He’d paid enough attention to remember she had a necklace in the first place, and at one time Haxus remembering its importance would have  _ delighted _ her to no end. Now he uses it to mock her. “What bad news?” she asks with a glare, thankful that her curiosity has helped calm her temper, because the ugly tears staining her face don’t help. She presses a hand to her neck to feel for damage, relieved that there’s barely a bump from where the chain dug into the skin. It should heal quickly, and without need of medicine.

Haxus sighs, as if even he is upset. “Lieutenant Krolia will not be joining Sendak’s command.” He scowls. “Apparently she’s opted to go back to scouting.”

Despite Katie’s best efforts to retain an angered face, the news is upsetting to her, too. The hope of Krolia being here, providing some manner of friendly company, bursts from the needle of Haxus’ news. It really is just her and these two seasoned warriors who willingly, and without remorse, conquer planets for a living. Just the three of them and an army of robots on an excruciatingly large battleship. 

At this point, Katie isn’t expecting sympathy. When Haxus sighs with some kind of disappointment, she doesn’t take it personally. “Here I was hoping the necklace would cheer you up a bit.”

“You almost killed me,” she tells him evenly, making sure she has eye contact. It’s a simple, neutral statement while her hands curl into fists to control both the anger and the fear. 

Leaning an arm on the corner of the backrest, his fangs are prominent as he smiles over her. “To make sure you haven’t forgotten your life is in my hands. Enjoy.”

She hates that he’s right. Though she ate not long ago, her stomach feels ill and empty over not being able to do anything about it. So she focuses on this so-called gift. The long, rectangular pendant that rests on her collarbone is inscribed in Galra. The angle makes it hard to see the full word, but she can make a few letters towards the bottom…

“It has my name, rank, and station on it,” Haxus supplies far too readily. “In case you were to ever get lost.”

Her heart sinks as the implication soaks in. It’s a collar. 

Just the thought threatens to drag her deeper into despair, hands shaking as she wraps her fingers around the pendant to just forget it's there already. This necklace is no gift, it’s just one more way to constantly remind her of everything terrible about this place. Haxus can find her at any time with the locator cuffs, this is merely another source of amusement for him. 

But then she realizes the implications, and that alone gives her enough hope to last through this encounter. “I’m leaving the ship?”

Leaving the ship means they are docking or landing somewhere, which means more people - possibly people who can help her. 

“Perhaps,” Haxus says noncommittally. “We dock at Central Command by the end of the day cycle for routine maintenance and to replenish supplies.” His bored frown turns into a wicked grin, as if he’s just thought of a terrible idea for her. “If I am finished with overseeing the transfer early, I’ll take you to see a few matches in the arena.”

The light of hope in her heart is extinguished nearly as soon as it’s lit. Rover has shown her plenty of arena matches - she’d specifically asked for Galra vs. Galra ones, thinking it worth it to study fighting styles - but the kind she suspects Haxus wants to take her to are not ones she wants to see.

“I’ll pass,” she says quickly. Diverting her eyes in hopes to end the conversation, she takes up the book and opens it.

Haxus only snatches it from above. “You’ll miss out on the other half of your gift.”

“I don’t want any gifts from you,” she counters harshly, crossing her arms tight across her chest, refusing to look at his smug face. 

“If you keep up this attitude, perhaps not,” he says in a more miffed tone than annoyed. “You were doing so well.”

Katie takes a deep breath to make sure her voice is as steady and even as possible. “Again. You were about to kill me.”

Claws scrape at her side as Haxus wraps his fingers around her arm. She’s jerked out of the chair, stumbling onto the metal floor before she’s pulled back again. Haxus forces her head up with a thumb under her chin and curls his palm around the back of her neck. Katie sucks in a breath, terror freezing her limbs with those harsh yellow eyes so close. 

“You will know,” he says menacingly, “when I intend to kill you.” 

He lets go of her, and Katie falls backwards onto her butt, terrified, and scooting back to get as far away from Haxus as possible and escape again to the false sense of security of this room. 

Haxus smiles pleasantly as he looms. “That was merely a friendly surprise.”

“You’re not my friend,” she hisses. “All you’ve done is make my life miserable!”

He clicks with the inside of his mouth. “Testy this quintant.” He steps forward. “I was expecting you’d be broken by now, but I won’t refuse the challenge.

Katie puts up all the mental barriers she can, scrambling back until she hits the glass wall, preparing for whatever heartbreak he’s about to introduce into her life. 

“I’ve been forced to put a bit more thought lately into what to do with you in the long term,” he begins, pacing a step or two in either direction. “While you’ve made my life quite a bit easier in regards to work...”

Katie grinds her teeth. All she does is stand there and hold his datapad, maybe a drink every now and then, a job that could be done by a  _ table _ . 

“I regrettably acknowledge that simply myself and the commander don’t provide you with the social stimulation that you need.” He pauses, looking directly at her with a rather bored expression. “You’re lonely.”

“My depression is less about being lonely and a lot more about the fact that you  _ kidnapped  _ me,” Katie bites back, not bothering to hold back her glare. “I want to be with my family back on Earth.” Meaning to continue to be stern, her voice becomes soft and pleading as she speaks her wish. Mentally she berates herself because Haxus is surely going to capitalize on her misery.

“I have already given you the answer to that,” he grins. “However, I might be able to do something about your family.”

Katie gasps and stands defensively. “Don’t,” she gulps between a plea and a command, terrified that he’s about to abduct her family too, or worse burn Earth to the ground doing so. “Leave them alone.”

Haxus laughs. “Oh no, we are not going anywhere near Earth.” His grin is positively gleeful, eyes locked on Katie, ravenous to see her reaction to whatever he has in mind. “I have a friend who works as a guard at the arena. There are always plenty of gladiators and prisoners, so once of appropriate age you’ll have your pick of a companion. While you are still a child, regardless if you’re,” his nose twitches in disgust, “cycling already, you can get used to looking.”

“What?” she whispers, horrified that she’s understood his meaning; not a friend companion, a romantic companion.

“A mate,” he confirms far too casually for her liking. “And then if you’re lucky, a child to care for.” A wicked, knowing grin. “Then you will have made a new family.”

Words form at the tip of her tongue; a question, a rebuttal, a defiant no, any of these would suffice. This kind of treatment is part of history, something Rover’s shown her, some other poor person’s problem, not her. 

He strides towards her with a cruel chuckle. “I told you it was a surprise, perhaps a bit much of a shock for your tiny body.” Too late she tries to scramble away, but he already has a grip and pulls her up by an arm. “Back to work, I will need your assistance taking on new inventory.”

Shaking, she limply allows herself to be led. “Why are you doing this?” she demands desperately. “Isn’t me being here enough?”

“You aren’t broken yet if you still hope to go home,” he replies, dragging her along. “Until that time, I will take every satisfaction in your struggle.”

For the first time, Katie wonders, briefly, if the struggle is worth it; trying as hard as she can but unable to gain any traction. 

Then she remembers the fear in the rebel faces as Haxus played them like a fiddle, imagining the terror of the villagers when lava descended upon their village in the absence of the Red Lion and the disinterest Sendak had for their lives. 

Then how the Red Lion protected  _ her _ . Like she was someone worth saving in the eyes of the universe, and not Nelas who had spent however many years protecting it.

She curls her free hand into a fist. Everyone was worth protecting. Katie isn’t sure what she can do to prove it, but surely she’s in a better position than most prisoners. Time to suck it up, Holt, use it and prove you’re more clever. Then, at least in some way, she can repay the universe for sparing her life.

Even if it’s a miserable existence.

~~~~~~

The crates are as tall as her. Yellow for raw materials, green for food and water stores, and blue for blankets, clothing and other amenities. Katie suspects the red ones are for weapons or other sensitive information because Rover won’t open one for her. So she settles to satisfy her curiosity by at least opening the purple one.

It isn’t exactly like opening gifts on her birthday, but as Rover sends a beam of pink light to the control panel on the side to unlock it, Katie can’t help but bounce in excitement. She’ll take what she can get.

“This is robbery,” Haxus proclaims some distance behind her. “The ledger specifically asked for three crates of cloth goods. Commander Sendak doesn’t have time to make his own devices, let alone the interest.”

Quartermaster Janko huffs. “I’m out of blue crates - everyone is requesting them all of a sudden! Pick a planet and procure goods there! I have too many crates of raw materials, just take them!”

“You are the quartermaster! You store them!”

The Quartermaster hums in thought. “Perhaps for a price? Give me the girl and I’ll keep the excess crates for you. She clearly likes my color-coded schemes over whatever organizational mess Sendak runs on that ship of his.”

“I will not even entertain that as an option!”

A smirk of satisfaction tugs up Katie’s face hearing Haxus near to losing it in front of someone with higher rank than him. Her attention is squarely on the crate that Rover has just opened. She wraps her hands around the top edge and uses the friction on her boots to push her upper body up and over the side to see…

Junk. 

“Aw,” Katie slumps disappointedly. Rover beeps out of curiosity beside her. “There’s nothing interesting in here,” she explains. “Just a bunch of old tech that I can’t use anyway.” She hates it, if she were able to use Galra tech, she’d take this as a gift any day.

Katie pushes up over the side, legs dangling in balance behind her, and grabs a block of metal with multi-colored wires sticking out of one side. Rolling it around her hand while the other keeps her teetering on the edge, she idly wonders how much time she can kill by going through this whole box, trying to figure out how they work without being able to verify on her own power.

Movement from near the top of the pile catches her eye. Katie blinks as the top of a small cage rattles among the stationary computer parts. 

Dropping the block and wires, she reaches out just enough to grab it with her fingertips. Katie pulls it towards her, then yelps as the artificial gravity finally wins over her balancing act and sends her face first into the crate. 

Katie hisses and winces as the sharp edges of the various contraptions poke as she lands hard. “Ow…” she moans, opening her eyes, fully prepared to see Haxus come over and laugh at her blunder. 

A flicker of light steals her attention. Inside the small cage she’d tried to grab, is a fuzzy, green caterpillar-like creature. Though its eyes are wide and expressionless, the markings on its cheeks shine on and off like a near-dead lightbulb, giving it a sad sort of look. Katie’s heart skips a beat, realizing that it's actually a living, breathing creature; the first alien she’s met that isn’t a rebel or a Galra. 

Another prisoner. Just like her. 

Scooping it up into her arms, her heart breaks. The cage is barely big enough to hold it, the creature has no room to turn around and get comfortable at all. 

Katie swallows thickly, words stuck to the roof of her mouth. “I-I’ll get you out,” she trembles. She turns her gaze to her drone companion, desperate, “Rover, can you please unlock it?”

Rover turns a darker shade of purple, a clear ‘no’. 

Her heart sinks, and as if the creature can sense her despair, it slumps in a fluffy lump against the bars. 

Solutions run through her mind as she examines the cage all over, none of them sound realistic and asking a favor of Haxus is her last resort. And she will, to save the life of a fellow prisoner. “Rover,” she ponders again, sob in her throat. “What species is this?” Perhaps knowing more about it will give her a clue as to how to help it.

Rover projects an image on the blank part of the crate that isn’t filled to the brim. It shows an image of several of these creatures, all in an assortment of colors, floating around in space debris. She can’t read the name or the words, but she knows it can survive without oxygen and can maneuver in the air much like Rover. The creatures on the screen are adorable, their cheek markings brightly lit and their fur vibrant pinks, blues, yellows, and greens. 

The one in the cage is a dull, musty green, its underside more white than the cream of its brethren. And its cheeks flicker. It looks sick. Katie holds her breath; how long has it been in this crate without food or water? Or attention? 

Will it die in her arms?

Katie finds her arms wrapping the cage into a hug, trying to comfort the creature. 

“A nebula caterpillar,” says Haxus, startling Katie out of her thoughts. He stands overlooking the crate and all in it with mild interest. “It must have been caught up with the trash during the scrap harvest.”

Her fingers find their way through the bars, gently stroking the caterpillar’s soft fur. “It looks so sad,” she muses aloud.

“I’m not surprised, they are only found in large colonies,” he says, leaning an elbow on the crate’s edge. “They make good pets in pairs, though one by itself will not survive for long.”

What a terrible fate, to die by loneliness far away from friends and family. Katie’s hands shake, a sob in her throat. A fate that will her hers one day if she can’t escape.

“Do you want it?”

Katie’s head snaps upwards towards Haxus. His face is neutral, more business-like than anything. More importantly, it isn’t cruel, there’s a good chance there’s nothing up his sleeve. “What?” she asks, making sure he’s asking what she thinks.

Haxus rolls his eyes. “I did not lie earlier when I said the commander and I don’t give you the social interaction you need. You named the  _ drone _ , for Ancient’s sake. These creatures don’t eat or drink, so it will be easy to take care of for however long it lives. It will help raise your mood to have a pet of your own, you’re far more efficient when happy.”

It won’t help, she wants to snap, to tell him that she won’t ever be happy until he lets her go free. But...Katie peers down at the poor, sickly creature. If she can use keeping it as a pet as an excuse to one day set it free...then it will be worth it.

“Yes,” she responds. “I’d like that...Sir,” she adds as nearly an afterthought, hoping the respectful title will be enough to let him know how much she wants this.

He sighs a bit dramatically. “Good enough.” He leans in and offers a hand for her. “I will add it to the log. Is everything in order?”

Katie reluctantly takes it and he pulls her and the nebula caterpillar out of the crate with ease. “Aside from the extra material boxes and two less blue boxes,” she reports as her feet hit the ground. Once free, she wraps her arms around the cage and occupant protectively. “The purple one is full of junk, can I sort through it later?”

“It’s  _ junk _ ,” Haxus emphasizes, as if it were a child’s toy. “Do as you wish with it, but you’ll bring it onto the ship yourself. I need to speak with Janko on your new pet.” He chuckles. “A pet for the pet.”

Katie frowns and takes a peek down at her new friend, all good feelings completely washed away at that remark. It still looks sick, but is at least not shivering anymore. 

~~~~~~~~

The top of the cage falls off with a sharp clang as it hits the floor.

Katie scoops the nebula caterpillar protectively into her arms as Haxus discards the cage into a scrap metal bin next to his terminal. “Remember to have the washroom clean before I come back with supper.” 

“Yeah, okay,” she says distractedly, stroking the being along its spine. It’s so soft, and Katie relaxes as it slumps into her chest. She tries not to let Haxus’ rather mundane ask get to her; it sounds too much like a request from her mother and Katie hates how it twists a normal household chore into such a threat with weight behind it.

Haxus eyes Rover. “Make sure it gets done. No messing with the plumbing this time,” he stresses at her.

Katie spares half a glare in his direction. It’s not like she has anything better to do, and there had been a strange noise coming from the pipes. In the absence of anything exciting in her day to day life, she has to take what she can get. “I think Rover’s learned not to open  _ everything  _ for me,” she says in annoyance as she watches him walk towards the door that leads to the rest of the ship.

Admittedly, she hadn’t enjoyed needing a proper bath later. 

“I will be back in a few varga if all goes smoothly,” he says standing on the threshold. 

The door shuts and the lock echoes for just a moment longer.

Katie frowns, shoulders sagging to be resigned to yet another day here. “I’m sorry,” she tells the nebula caterpillar. “It’s just one prison to another. At least it's bigger, right?”

It shivers, green fur puffing up like stray fiber on a fluffy sweatshirt. 

“Are you cold?” Katie wonders. This is her time to shine. If nothing else, she can try to ease its suffering. “I don’t blame you,” she says aloud. After keeping her thoughts to herself around Haxus and Sendak, it feels good to just talk. “This room is always chilly. Your fur must be pretty thick to withstand the vacuum of space, but you’ve been in that crate for so long you have to get used to the temperature again. I don’t think the Galra make prisoner suits for cute little creatures like you.”

The little marks on its cheeks light up briefly, and Katie smiles, filled with a strange kind of warm feeling around her heart.

She carries it over to her bed and carefully places it on the large, purple pillow, fluffing it up for maximum comfort. The fairy lights lined on the walls around her bed blink to life at her presence, one of the few gifts from Haxus she’s actually enjoyed. They run off her quintessence, and though it's just one more way for Haxus to study her, they are at least pretty. 

With her new friend snug, Katie changes out of the deplorable prisoner uniform and dumps it in the box of knick-knacks she keeps under the bed, before changing into her preferred clothes from Earth. Even though the black body suit is objectively warmer, it isn’t worth the constant reminder she’s a prisoner. She reaches to unclasp the necklace - collar - and her gut sinks as her fingers move around the chain and are unable to find any clasp. It’s stuck on her, for now. Possibly forever. 

Katie takes a deep breath to calm herself. She needs a distraction.

Climbing into bed herself, she lies down on her stomach and lifts the blanket over herself and the floofy creature. In the darkness beneath the covers there’s a calmness while Katie just observes the nebula caterpillar as it breathes slow and easy. Katie finds herself matching it, lulled into the peace of the moment.

“It’s not too bad,” she tells the nebula caterpillar, chin resting on her folded arms. “Haxus is smug, but he hasn’t ever hurt me. You’ll be okay, I promise.”

The space-faring being closes its eyes, easing into what Katie hopes is a peaceful slumber. It lifts her spirits just a bit, and a smile tugs up her lips. “Sleep well, friend.”

Too soon, a beep from Rover reminds her that she still has work to do. It’s better to get it done now, in case Haxus comes back early. With a heavy sigh, she responds with a moan, “I know. I’m coming.”

Casting off the blanket, she shivers as the extra warmth is lost. Carefully, she wraps the blanket around the nebula caterpillar and finds herself jealous at how comfortable it looks in the den of sheets she’s created for it. 

“I’ll be back after I finish cleaning,” she promises. As much as Katie is loath to admit it, taking care of someone who isn’t ordering her around is invigorating. She wanders over to the washroom with a spring in her step and a sense of purpose.

Katie hums while she gathers the cleaning materials, stacking them into a bucket and placing them on the vanity. Gaze wandering up to the mirror...and up and up and up all the way to the ceiling that is so much taller than her, Katie sighs heavily, not looking forward to climbing and balancing on the cabinets. 

Rover hovers to her side, almost curious.

“I wish I could hover like you, Rover,” she confides. “That would make this so much easier.” Not to mention being able to use any robot. Without being able to use Galra technology, she’s stuck with a literal mop and bucket for cleaning the floors. She has to ask Rover to even get into the washroom or Haxus’ room to clean.

...but that does mean that Rover listens to her in some capacity. 

...Haxus isn’t around right now. 

“You  _ can  _ help!” she declares. Rover gives off a long, high pitched distressful beep as Katie wraps a washrag and ties a bottle of cleaning solution to the drone’s body. “You start on the top, I’ll work on the bottom!”

Rover beeps indignantly. 

Katie puts her hands on her hips, smirking. “You’re here to help me do things I can’t, right? Well, I can’t reach up there without falling, and Haxus wants this clean before he gets back.”

The drone vibrates with robotic anger, that to Katie looks more cute than anything, regardless that Rover is here to guard her rather than entertain her. She chuckles and pats Rover with a heavy slap. “It’ll be fu--”

Rover’s left side falls off, revealing the wiring underneath. 

Her hand stalls in mid air, fingers dangling limply after patting the drone. She’d seen Haxus mess with the wires when Rover first came to her, but she hadn’t realized its outer casing so easily comes off.

No, that isn't true. Her brain refused to consider the possibility because of what Haxus might do to her if she tried to mess with Rover, even just to satisfy her curiosity.

Heart caught in her throat, she stares with a dropped jaw for maybe a moment too long. Katie can’t operate Galra technology, a fact of life that has vexed her since being unable to orchestrate her very first escape attempt. But hard-wiring a machine isn't the same as operating the software.

Can she modify Rover to work for  _ her _ ?  In her mind's eye, she sees the image of Haxus slamming a sword as big as her into the ground inches away from her.

Hastily, she picks up the panel and sets it back on the drone, who beeps with a haughty huff before hovering up to the top of the mirror - cleaning just as she asked.

Katie takes a moment to calm her heart, waiting until the thump has eased off her ears before climbing the vanity. She sprays the cleaning solution and puts her arms to work wiping with a cloth.

Her arm shakes with the knowledge that she can tinker with Rover, knowledge that is useless at this point. With Rover working for her, she can access computers to signal home, charts, and an escape pod...except that Sendak and Haxus can't be hacked. They hold physical strength Katie can only dream of and no remorse over harming her. If she's to escape, the two of them have to be out of the equation.

She can create a virus to stall the ship and take an escape pod and...

The cuffs on her wrist glare back at her in the mirror, and the hope in her eyes dims. No matter where she goes, Haxus can find her. And all that assumes she can create a virus before Haxus notices what she's done with her robot guard.

Katie slumps her forehead against the mirror and her rag falls to the counter. Another dead end. What a coward she is.

"I can't even save myself, how am I supposed to save someone else?" she whispers.

Katie washes the mirror with her tears and scrubs the shower with all of her frustration until it smells of nothing but lemon and she coughs as the freshener particles tickle her throat.

As Rover shuts the door behind her, Katie stores the cleaning supplies in the closet, balancing the mop against the far wall. Her back hits the wall as she sighs, taking in the room that is her prison. Rover flies over to the middle of her bed, resting gently on the cover but still very much watching her every move. Haxus' door remains locked to her, as is the one to the outside. He does this every once in a while, removing her free reign of the officer’s wing, as a reminder that she is a prisoner. The nebula caterpillar rests easy on her pillow still.

"I guess it's free time," she says sadly. Haxus would surely love it if he returned to find her searching the code, but with another being to take care of, that work can wait. "All he said was to clean the bathroom," she tells herself. A wry grin tugs up her face. She'd done as he asked, nothing more.

With a spring in her step, Katie climbs into bed, crossing her legs to keep vigil for her new friend. She collects her tablet into her hands for Rover’s sake - the drone vibrates, ready to beep and insists she get back to work as it has so many times before - so she can at least  _ pretend _ . The paleness hasn't dissipated in the least, but her shoulders sag at the nebula caterpillar’s closed eyes and body inflating and deflating slightly with each breath. It is stable for now.

"You're going to be okay," Katie promises. For a moment, it's as if she's sitting on her own bed in her own room back on Earth, Bae Bae hogging the pillow and ears twitching to be scratched. Katie smiles and reaches out with her fingers to provide.

But her arm won't move closer. Instead of a loving bull terrier, its a sick alien fluff ball that’s just as captive as she is. Rather than sleep at her feet, Rover guards and keeps her on the task set upon her by an evil alien warrior. It isn’t a handheld console with a video game in her lap, its a datapad with that task. 

If she pets the nebula caterpillar, she treats this creature like a pet, just like Haxus treats her. She hates every ruffle of her hair...what if the nebula caterpillar feels the same.

Her heart splits into two as she takes her arm away. There's no way she can do it. She won't let herself pass the same horrible treatment on to another being.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers, grabbing her own arms to prevent either from reaching out again.

Katie isn't sure if it's her imagination, but she can barely see any greenish tint on the nebula caterpillar anymore. It's underbelly and fur nearly match in a colorless white. Its slowing breath is more painfully obvious the longer she just sits and watches.

It hits like a ton of bricks. They don’t survive long on their own. The nebula caterpillar is dying before her eyes.

And she has no idea what to do for it. 

“N-no!” she gasps, crawling closer to the creature. “Please, you can’t,” she sobs. Far too easily, Katie sees herself in the nebula caterpillar’s place. Whether it takes a year or several decades, she will be the one to die in captivity; lying in this bed with aching limbs and finding it more difficult to draw breath, Haxus watching over her with mild displeasure and offering no words of real comfort. 

Katie gathers the nebula caterpillar in her arms. “Please, please hang on,” she begs, eyes squeezed shut to hold the pooling tears. “I know it looks hopeless right now,” she continues, mouth unable to stop. “I’m from a planet called Earth. It’s not as interesting looking as Puig or box-shaped Nodonia, but it’s home.” It hurts to say the word, after not having been there for a while. For too long Haxus has insisted on calling this room her home, and too often she’s caught herself thinking it simply because it’s where she sleeps. “One day I’m going back,” she promises. “And I’m going to find your home too. Don’t you want to see your friends and family again?”

She does. So much that her stomach curls up in pain and her heart cracks like thin ice on a warm day. 

But the thought of her family, imagining the smiling faces of her father and mother and Matt, makes her smile even though she cries.

“I’ll be your friend,” Katie promises and she holds the nebula caterpillar up to the crook of her neck, hugging it like an infant. “We can get through this together.”

The confident roar of a lion reverberates through her mind in affirmation. 

Katie has become accustomed to hearing this sound in her mind, and it comes this time with a wave of hope. The pieces of her heart tingle like soda pop, slowly easing together thanks to the comfort she feels. It lightens the weight of her eyelids, fluttering open to see her fingers entwined in soft fur of mint green. 

A sob escapes her throat. “You’re going to be okay,” she reiterates. 

Though Katie isn’t sure she addresses the nebula caterpillar or herself. 


	8. Reality Sets In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: whipping
> 
> If you'd like to skip that part, stop reading when Sendak receives the box and begin again after the ~~~~~~ scene break.

Katie winces on reflex, gripping the sides of her tablet tight as the battlecruiser rattles. The beam of the ion cannon shoots across the viewscreen on the bridge, demolishing a half dozen satellites that orbit - used to orbit - the moons of Vergonis. 

“Rebel communication disabled,” Haxus reports professionally. From her spot on the floor, Katie looks past his legs to see that once again, Sendak has no reaction, not even a smile at a job successfully completed, as he stares ahead at the viewscreen. “Orders?”

“We wait,” Sendak replies coolly. 

Haxus chuckles cruelly, and Katie scowls at his delight. “A siege to secure the rich iron deposits. I’m glad the scan was worth it.”

Katie inhales sharply and scrambles backwards as his knees bend and his claws reach underneath his command station - where she’s been chained throughout the invasion, as is customary now. The magenta cord tugs painfully, cuffs chafing her skin. It threatens to rip her arm out of her shoulder socket, with one end connected to one of her cuffs and the other end to the oval shaped stand that holds the console at the height Haxus prefers. It would probably hurt less if she were wearing the thicker fabric of the prisoner uniform, but as long as Haxus doesn’t directly order it, she’s going to continue wearing the clothes she brought from Earth.

She can’t escape his hand over her head and ruffling her hair. “A job well done, Girl. Sharp eyes.”

A war of emotions rages inside Katie’s heart as she turns her back to Haxus and wraps her arms around her knees, hating that she is the reason Sendak goes after this planet for its resources. Fingers curl into fists as she pouts over the empty praise; because of her find, the inhabitants of this system will be slaves rather than dead. She’s done good by using her position here to save people...but has she really saved them?

“Whatever,” she responds with an annoyed tinge. Holding back her hate is becoming easier, and it hurts less when she feigns disinterest. Haxus won’t continue the conversation this way, a conversation that is usually filled with him reminding her of her station. 

Haxus chuckles cruelly. “Back to work,” he orders. “Finding the Lions is of far greater import than a new planet for Janko to play with.” A soft beep from his console alerts both of them to an incoming message. “It’s from the surface of the second moon,” Haxus informs.

“Open the channel,” Sendak says slowly, evenly.

Straining her neck, Katie can just make out one of the locals that hails the ship. “I am Queen Lucenta of the Vergonis Assembly,” she says, tiny mouth set in a hard line to match her steely purple eyes. She’s strikingly beautiful for resembling a bug, with creamy translucent skin and long antennae that drape behind her like long locks of hair. She carries herself with the air of royalty. “I have heard Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire does not leave prisoners.”

Her eyes though, Katie recognizes that same look of dimming defiance she’s seen in her own eyes. Queen Lucenta is running out of time. 

“Your system is to become the next mining colony in the service of the Empire,” Sendak replies. “Surrender, or in one quintant I will raze your capital to the ground.”

The Queen’s eyes widen in horror and her fanged teeth grit in anger a moment before the video feed cuts off. 

“Well timed, as usual,” Sendak says, finally showing a grin.

“My pleasure, Commander,” Haxus responds. Katie yelps as his boot makes impact with her side. “I don’t see you working,” he presses.

Agitation overflows from her heart at once again not being able to really save anyone, to sit here as Sendak destroys lives and homes and she’s relatively  _ safe _ , and pours out of her mouth before she can stop it, “I’m getting to your stupid program! It’s hard to focus when you’re hurting innocent people!”

In the heavy silence following her outburst, dread seizes her heart, body stiff as she sucks in a breath. She almost wishes Haxus would yell back.

“Leave her to me.”

Katie struggles for breath at Sendak’s voice.

“You needn't bother," Haxus assures him. "I brought her here and I will see to discipline."

Involuntarily, Katie pulls on her restraints, fear pooling in her gut. Every inch of her being wants to run, retreat, whatever it will take to be out of her captors' presence.

Sendak smirks. "It will be fun." Katie tugs again on her chain, only for it to retract and drag her closer to the console. "And I have need of you to collect the Queen. I want her on this ship as soon as she surrenders or misses the deadline."

Haxus goes rigid. "Vrepit Sa." Though she can't see anything but the back of his legs, she knows he salutes with his fist over his heart. Then step by step he leaves his station and exits through the main door. When it closes, she is alone on the bridge with Sendak, accompanied only by a few impassive sentries.

His judging gaze captures her eyes that she's sure are full of fear. Her heart beats rapidly into her throat as he steps down from his command towards her.

"I'm sorry," she blurts out, shame striking her heart immediately. To plead feels as if she gives another part of her soul to captivity. "I can't help it, I'm working, I swear." She's silenced by Sendak's massive figure stopping before her. His huge metal arm swings back. Katie screams, ducking away and covering her head as if that would save her from the blow.

It never comes.

Sendak strikes at the cuff on the console. The chain disintegrates.

"Get up," he orders emotionlessly.

Katie scrambles to her feet. Breaths uneven and wild, hands shaking, she can't even pretend that she isn't afraid. Sendak is just a glorified bully, she tells herself, he and Haxus both. Don't be an idiot, Katie. Do as they say, you're not escaping them anytime soon. Wait. Be  _ patient _ .

"There is a small box underneath the bar in the officer's lounge," Sendak tells her. "Bring it to me."

Katie opens her mouth. She wants to know what is in the box and why he wants her to fetch it for him. "Wha--"

A shriek leaves her mouth as Sendak's metal claw clamps around her upper body. In an instant Katie is so close to his face she can smell his heavy breath.

"Your job is to work without question," he says sternly. Katie whimpers as he squeezes. "Understood?"

Katie grits her teeth, heart brimming with hate and sadness and agony. Just barely she keeps the tears back, but the liquid still clouds her vision. "Yes," she croaks out. Never did she think she'd miss Haxus rubbing her pain in her face, but Sendak is already far worse.

He drops her. First she yelps in surprise, then in pain as the floor connects with her knee. Pain shoots up the nerves in her arms as her elbow takes the weight of her upper body before she's a pathetic pool on the floor.

"Do not delay," he orders dispassionately.

Knee and arm still throbbing, Katie finds enough strength to pull herself up. At first hobbling towards the door, as the pain subsides she goes into a jog.

Rover greets her with a beep at the door, opening it so Katie doesn't slow her pace - the sooner she's away from Sendak the better - not until she reaches the elevator that will lead her to the officer's wing.

Fingers curl around her arms in self comfort as Rover selects the level - it's the only one she's allowed to go to after all.

"I messed up big time," she tells Rover idly, gaze stuck on the floor. "Why can't I keep my stupid mouth shut?" Captive for the foreseeable future, Katie knows she can't make either of them angry. Why is biding her time to escape so hard? Haxus makes her so mad, always making her feel so insignificant, and Sendak too, invading planets without remorse.

Predictably, Rover doesn't really respond, certainly not answering her question. Rather it beeps slowly, as if sighing in exasperation.

"Yeah, I know," she sighs wistfully. "It could have been a lot worse. But Sendak is preoccupied with the invasion, at least." Katie bites her lip, looking up. "That's awful of me to think, isn't it? I don't want these people to get hurt."

Rover turns to face her and clicks twice. " _ All will become property of the Empire in time _ ," says a recording of Haxus' voice. Katie remembers this conversation, how she'd begged him not to destroy the surface of another planet. It had been only the second one she'd witnessed, and has since seen so many more. " _ It is an inevitability. Even if you were to go back to Earth, it will simply become yet another conquest. _ "

Now that she is away from harm, anger bubbles up over her fear. The only thing keeping Katie sane is the knowledge that rebels exist, rebels that have had apparent success over the Empire before. Even if Earth is in danger, Katie has an option to escape somewhere. The magenta cuffs gleam against the lights of the elevator and her heart sinks. So long as she wears these, she'll be hunted. They have to come off or she spends a life on the run.

Staying here should seem easier compared to a universe that she has no idea about. To Katie, it’s a wealth of unknowns to discover and satisfy her curiosity.

"Hey Rover, tonight let's learn about the universe outside the Empire." The more she knows, the more prepared she is for when she is finally able to escape.

Rover beeps in agreement just as the elevator door opens. Katie walks down the familiar hallway and turns into the lounge. As tempting as it is to stay a while and relax in one of the comfortable chairs, Sendak is a bit of an unknown. He gets angry, he's buddy-buddy with Haxus while being the epitome of a commander at the same time, but she doesn't know what he'll do to her if she takes too much time to complete a direct order.

Katie dips down around the side of the bar, and finds a grey box about twice the size of Rover exactly where Sendak said it would be. "I hope it's not too heavy," she says. Her fingers wrap around the top and bottom that jut out like crown molding and secures it against her chest.

It isn't heavy by any means, and as Katie walks carefully back to the elevator and during the ride up to the bridge, she wonders what is inside.

Sendak stands at his command post when Katie enters, his back to her. But he still knows it's her. Who else can it be, really?

"Found it," she starts awkwardly.

Very slowly, almost deliberately, he turns and takes it from her outstretched hands. "Turn around," he says neutrally.

Katie sighs heavily and does so, reminding herself that all of this is only temporary as she walks towards Haxus' console, her steps the only sound apart from the hum of computers. She can bad talk the both of them as much as she wants once she escapes and--

The harsh crack comes a split second before the sharp, stinging strike hits her back. Katie’s scream is swallowed as she kisses the ground, arms quick enough to prevent a broken nose. The dull pain from the fall pales in comparison to the sharp pain on her back. The cool air that circulates around the ship breathes on her skin, which means her shirt is torn and--

_ Crack _ . A shriek that Katie barely registers as her own when the knife-like object cuts into her skin again, pinning her to the ground.

She isn't stupid, but as Katie sucks in a breath and fails to hold back painful tears, she turns her head to see, because she has to know all the details of her punishment, even if it scares her.

A trio of purple cords hang loosely from Sendak’s hand, long enough to drape across the floor even with his height. The box she'd brought up for him is open.

He lifts the whip back. "Turn around or I will scar your face."

Breath strangely calm, as if her body has accepted what her mind has not, she pleads, "Stop, please. I'm sorry. I--"

Katie can’t turn fast enough when she sees the next strike coming. She wails, hands instinctively cupping her right eye. It hurts so much, each throb like a knife stabbing the back of her eye. She’s fallen from climbing a tree before, but this is by far the most excruciating pain she’s ever been in.

Is she going to lose her eye completely? Or get some grotesque replacement like Sendak’s?

She falls to the ground completely, still cupping her injured eye as she slides forward from the momentum of the next strike. 

“Haxus likes you too much, he’s been soft,” Sendak says. “But on my bridge, you will act accordingly.”

Haxus likes her? If he likes her, then she hates to see what he’d do if he  _ doesn’t _ .

“I-I will,” she rasps. “Plea--”

"The only question you should be asking," Sendak says as he pulls back the whip, “is how many.”

Adrenaline and all of her flight instincts kick in. Katie turns and plants her sneakers to the floor, jumping up like a sprinter at the start of a race. For all Katie knows, Sendak is going to kill her. Bolting for the door with hysterical breath, she doesn’t know where she’ll go. Between the locator cuffs and no way off this ship, if Sendak wants to punish her, there’s nothing stopping him from doing so.

Her eye will bleed out, she’ll end up with some kind of infection, she’s going to die  _ today _ .

Circulation in her ankle cuts off and her feet are taken from under her in a sudden jerk. The ground hits her face with a smack. There’s no time to process the pain before her shirt rides up to her face as she’s pulled backwards across the floor. Katie cries out as her side hits the bottom of a console. In a flurry, the cold metal of Sendak’s arm squeezes the life near out of her and her back slams into the wall.

“Turn,” he orders. 

Katie drops to the floor in a heap, legs too shaken to stand on their own and heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Sendak’s figure looms over her, far too close for comfort, with the eerie awful glow of the whip buzzing beside him. This close she can see the tiny barbs scarred all along the cord. A sob escapes her throat far too easily while her tears continue flowing unrestrained. Her brain is broken so much that rational thought seems a world away. “I get it,” she gasps desperately. “I learned my lesson - I won’t do it again.”

“Incorrect.” 

The hilt of the whip slams into her shoulder, turning Katie forcibly around on her knees. As her forehead hits the wall, one hand bracing against it and the other against the floor. The purple cord beside her is dragged out of her peripheral view. She shuts her good eye tight, body shaking in anticipation, covering them both protectively with her hands, but they are unable to stop the tears. 

She screams again when the next strike comes, fingers curled into a fist against the wall. She can feel the blood oozing down her back...

"H-how many?" she asks pathetically, praying she’ll get an answer or he’ll be satisfied enough to stop. It hurts so much, like her back goes from being on fire to ice directly on her skin.

"As many as I want."

Another strike comes, this time across her calves, and Katie can’t hold back the screams or tears at all.

~~~~~~

She isn’t dead. That and the extra cushions on her bed do nothing for Katie's mood.

She’s only been awake for a few doboshes, the remainder of Sendak’s lesson a fuzzy haze. On her stomach - because lying on her back is too painful even after however long she’s been unconscious - she wraps the large purple pillow around her arms, squeezing it tight and digging her face into it, irrationally hopeful that it will protect her throbbing, bleeding eye from further pain.

It doesn’t. It still hurts every time a salty tear tries to form. So much she just wants to carve it out and be done with it. 

The nebular caterpillar looks on blankly to her left, looking about as weak as Katie feels, while Rover keeps vigil from above.

"Three more varga and we rendezvous with the main fleet," Haxus tells her. Katie hisses, her back lurching as he dabs more of the alien equivalent of rubbing alcohol on her bare back. Just three more... she can do that. If Haxus tells the truth, then they'll arrive at the arena and she'll get to go in the healing pod for prisoners and Haxus won't have to clean her wounds to prevent infection anymore and her eye will be fine...

"I hope you learned your lesson," he continues nonchalantly. "This is as much of a pain for me as it is for you."

Hardly, Katie bites back saying. Maybe, if she closes her eyes - well, eye, because her right one is too swollen to open - she can be somewhere else and Haxus will stop talking to her and leave her alone for modesty's sake. Her clothes are in shreds; lying face down in bed is all she can do to keep herself decent. 

She gets the point that she's overpowered and helpless and stuck. Freedom of mind is all that is left to her, because like asking to go home, dissidence will not be tolerated.

She's thirteen years old. She should be studying for school, not recovering from an injury deliberately placed on her. Her mother should be caring for her, not the alien who kidnapped her on a whim.

A sob escapes her lips and Haxus has the gall to pat her on the head, an action that only makes her cry harder. "You did." The bed shifts as he stands and Katie hisses when the movement aggravates her wounds before she allows her shoulders to relax. "I will take you to some arena matches while we're there. In the meantime, go over some code. It will help take your mind off the pain."

Searching the code isn’t likely. All she wants is a warm blanket to cover her bare back and ease the uncomfortable chill on her shoulders. 

“It gets easier,” Haxus tells her out of the blue. Katie inhales sharply, resistant to the idea with her whole body and mind. Never does she want to get used to slavery and torture. She wants her mother, but refuses to vocalize it. There is no need to give Haxus a reminder that Earth is still available for the taking, just like Vergonis. 

“I hate you,” she responds instead, reiterating the sentiment she still carries from that day he took her into space. 

“Unfortunate, but unsurprising,” he says matter-of-factly. Katie stiffens as she senses his approach and shivers as he pats her head. “I do not care if you spout rebellious nonsense to me, it is part of your charm after all. But you will keep yourself in check in the presence of others. And I suspect you will from now on, yes?” 

The wounds ache in remembrance of Sendak’s lesson. Katie doesn’t answer, but rather than walking away, Haxus digs his claws into her scalp, the pressure threatening to break skin. “Yes?”

“Yes,” she says hastily, without a second thought, easing only when he removes his grip. “I’ll do better,” she promises with a sob, hating the feeling of surrender all over again. 

“You are a valuable resource, Girl. After all the effort to bring you here and train you, I hate to waste it seeing you laid up like this when you could be searching for the Voltron Lions.”

A resource, of the same importance as the items in the yellow crates that Quartermaster Janko distributes. 

Haxus removes his hand. “Rest for now, but I expect you to resume work after the stop at Central Command. When the numbing agent takes effect, dress yourself. I’ll dispose of your torn garments.”

His footsteps are the only sound Haxus makes before the door to his bedroom hisses open and closed. 

Katie spares a glance to confirm he’s gone, slumping forward into her pillow when she sees that he is. 

“Rover, can you pull the blanket on top of me?” she asks.

With the softest beep she’s ever heard from the drone, the blanket soon rests upon her back. Katie hisses initially as it hits her wounds, but once she stills, the warmth is well worth it along with the sense of security it brings, false as it may be. Only briefly she mourns for her clothes. It wasn’t the favorite outfit in her closet, but out here it's the last she has of Earth. The cloth is already torn past the point of being able to wear it. She let it go at some point between the strikes of the whip, along with any real hope of escape. Haxus and Sendak are too strong and too cruel for her to get past on her own.

“I’m sorry, Matt,” she whispers. “I love you all so much. I miss you.”

A gentle purr rumbles in the back of her mind, filled with comfort.

“Who are you?” Katie asks. In so many times of distress she’s heard the roar or purr of a Lion. Is it the Red Lion sitting down in the hangar? It may be a stretch but at this point, Katie might as well try anything. “Can you help me?”

The roar isn’t a proud one, far more sad and regretful than it's ever been before. 

But whoever it is, it’s communicating with  _ her _ .

Just not the answer she hopes for.

Katie gives a heavy sigh and settles into her pillow. “I didn’t think so,” she mumbles sadly, closing her eyes. 

Sleep will have to be enough of an escape for now. 


	9. The Strongest Champion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He would have had it all, if it weren't for that clever little Earthling. 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Galra Arena violence, minor character death, electrocution

Katie yawns as she scrolls through the lines of code on her datapad. Already snuggled in bed, back covered by a warm blanket, she considers moving the tablet from the pillow to under her bed and calling it a night. It’s been two varga since Haxus left to talk to Commander Sendak about their newest route and her eyes are worn, brain total mush. There’s no way she can be productive for much longer. It’s past supper anyway, and whether or not Haxus comes back, it’s late enough to reasonably go to sleep.

She groans. “If I knew he wasn’t coming back tonight I would have asked you to pull up the Kral Zera again.”

Rover’s short sequence of beeps is something Katie has learned is the robot’s words for ‘go to bed’. 

The nebula caterpillar snuggles into the crook of her neck, pale green fur fluttering as if it breathes a sigh of contentment. “You both are such mother hens,” Katie laughs. 

Humor comes easier now, as much as Katie loathes to admit Haxus being right about accepting her fate. But she’s learned so much about the Galra Empire, all in preparation for her moment when she’ll finally be able to escape. It has been almost a year as far as she can tell from her own rudimentary calendar, converting what she understands of varga and quintants to hours and days. 

“It’s been a year too long…” she whispers to herself, slowly setting the tablet under her bed. In all the hours she’s logged on it, never has she found any of the matches like the Red Lion’s signature. One big waste of time, when she could have been with her family.

Her father and brother would be back from Kerberos by now, if they even went at all with her disappearance. Katie cuddles her face into the pillow, arms wrapped around it as she lies on her stomach. Her family would be the only people who even missed her. 

Though the wounds don’t hurt, not  _ really _ , Katie has noticed she tends to sleep on her side and stomach much more. Her wounds have mostly healed. A gash slicing down across her right eye is all that remains physically after spending time in the arena’s healing bed. But sometimes a sudden noise of any kind is all it takes for her back to ache. 

“I’m going to bed, Rover. Can you turn off the lights?” she says dully. Katie never thought the day would come where asking a robot to do a chore would feel so empty, but unable to interact with Galra technology herself, she  _ has  _ to ask Rover to do everything. Rather than gratifying and excited over the robotics, there’s always that underlying feeling of uselessness.

Rather than give its usual affirmative beep, Rover lets out a high pitched whir. The nebula caterpillar zips to the opposite side of the pillow, spooked. Katie sucks in a breath and bolts up out of bed just as Haxus enters from the hallway. He likes it when she stands at attention, and this way, he’s more likely to get to business rather than stop to pat her head. 

“Pack your datapad and get ready,” he orders gruffly as soon as the door is open, not sparing her a glance. In fact, he doesn’t stop walking, exiting through the doors to his quarters without any further explanation. 

Katie tugs at the black suit. Every day she becomes more accustomed to the awful uniform that denotes her as one of the billions of prisoners of the Empire. It keeps her body physically warm, but it is also a reminder of where and who she is here, and that chills her heart. She had asked once, if there was anything else she could wear around the ship, after she’d mourned the loss of her shredded Earth clothes to the incinerator. 

Katie’s nose twitches in disgust. “Wear garments more suitable for your station,” she mimics sourly. 

Rover beeps urgently, poking Katie over to her makeshift closet. The storage bin under the bed holds various trinkets - gifts - that she’s accumulated over time. Most aim to show where she belongs, the necklace, for one, which she’s negotiated to not wear around the ship at least. There’s also a fried piece of wiring, what used to be the underside of a planet-side console. Hit by lightning, Haxus was tasked in diagnosing the weak points. She requested to keep it, because it reminded her of home. The Galra storybook too. Bound books are rare with most things digital, but the fact that she can open it herself, without Rover’s assistance, and practice the basics of the Galra language, is precious in itself. 

Even though she sets the bin on top of her blanket, Rover continues to its insistence, mimicking the sense of urgency of Haxus’ voice. Katie picks out the raggy, purple shirt that completes the uniform. Without it, the black suit at least feels like something she’d wear underneath the Garrison flight suits and she can forget the danger she’s in during quiet moments alone.

No sooner as she’s finished pulling the purple rag over her head, Haxus reenters the office. He wears his best uniform, adorned with medals of commendation that Katie had just polished the day before. It gives her pause, something must be up.

“Necklace too,” Haxus says as he strides over and plucks it from the box before she can even react. He dips the pendant and thin, grey chain in front of her face and to her chest before clasping it in the back. “It’s entirely possible we’ll be separated and this will ensure you return to me.”

Like a lost pet. 

As Katie has practiced within the year, she shoves it to the back of her mind and limply allows the rectangular pendant to fall on her collarbone. This is no time for feeling sorry for herself when things are moving. She needs to stay sharp to look for a way home during this rare opportunity to leave the ship. “What’s the rush?”

“Drone, deactivate.”

Rover powers down and drops like lead to the floor. Katie gasps, shocked at the sudden loss of her constant companion, and takes a step to be at the drone’s side. “Rover!” She’s stopped as Haxus tugs her towards the door. “What did you do?”

Haxus pushes her out the door and closes it behind him. “Emperor Zarkon will be attending the arena matches today. Commander Sendak is overseeing a prisoner exchange and it would reflect poorly if I didn’t attend for him,” he explains swiftly. “Drones aren’t allowed.”

Katie regains her footing only after settling into Haxus’ quick pace. “Wait, we’re at Central Command?”

Without answering, Haxus opens the door to exit the officer's wing. Windows that stretch from floor to ceiling, usually revealing some of the most beautiful planets and galaxies, shows instead part of a ship. Katie drops her jaw in awe at how massive it is, unable to see its full dimensions this close. 

“How long have we been here?” she whispers. It’s been so long since she’s been able to sneak away to the officer’s lounge, and she hadn’t even felt the jump to hyperspace. This isn’t her first trip to Central Command, but usually she hears about it well in advance. She receives no answer, and is instead yanked literally and figuratively to the present. 

Haxus drags her along. “This will be good for you,” he decrees, “this isn’t like the other arena matches you’ve seen.”

Katie bristles, jogging to get ahead of him only for his long strides to overtake her. “I do what you want, but it doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it.”

Haxus stops on a dime and Katie runs pathetically into him. She falls to her butt, bones tingling from the impact. 

“You will do well to present yourself more humbly,” he threatens. “Because while I enjoy watching you squirm, our Emperor will not.”

For the first time in a good while, Katie’s blood pumps rapidly through her veins, itching for a fight. “He’s no emperor of mine,” she shoots back. 

Haxus’ eyes are narrowed dangerously before she finishes. Very deliberately, he flips open a panel on his wrist. The moment he presses the button inside, white hot pain jolts around her wrists and carries through her arms. Gasping, she opens her mouth to shriek in pain, but no sound comes out. Eyes directed downwards, sparks of pinkish electricity crackles around the cuffs on her wrists. 

Haxus just electrocuted her.  _ Haxus _ . More than the actual shock, the fact that he resorted to physically hurting her is unexpected and utterly terrifying. Since the hard lesson she learned from Sendak, Katie has had nightmares of her kidnapper finally having enough and resorting to physical torture for her lip, but quiznak, she can’t  _ help  _ it. It’s all she has left.

“That is a reminder of what will happen to you for disobedience,” Haxus says without remorse. “Stick to my side and don’t speak.” He grins. “Perhaps one of the gladiators will finally catch your eye.”

Still shivering, Katie can’t speak to argue otherwise.

~~~~~~

Spectating an arena fight is Katie’s least favorite activity. The noise is overwhelming to her senses and the routine deaths of the losing gladiators never fail to make her sick. 

A few other prisoners dot the arena, standing out literally - Katie is the only one sitting on a bench. They stand dejectedly near the top of the stands, many with chains attached to a Galra officer sitting nearby. She’s the smallest of the bunch, most looking like they could have been rebel leaders or army generals, large and imposing as any Galra. All are complacent to just stand there. 

Katie likes to imagine there is fire in their eyes still, hating every moment as she is.

Haxus sits in his favored spot by where the prisoners enter the arena, so that he can see them more clearly before the fight, and speaks with Tyreck, his warden friend. His long arm arches over Katie - who is squished between him and the wall - and rests on the stone barrier. Katie’s never been claustrophobic, but her heart races while making herself as small as possible as other Galra officers fill the stands behind her, their voices blending together into the background. 

“Myzax versus the Beast! What a fight this will be!” a woman with a mohawk crows.

Haxus groans under his breath, muttering under his breath, “the mining wardens, of course they’re here.”

“Better than a Slaughter, anyway,” her male companion sneers as he sits. 

A loud horn silences all of the chatter in the stands. In a private box overlooking the stadium, Katie recognizes the two figures who enter from Rover’s silent lectures. The slightly, hunched over figure is Haggar, the mysterious power behind the throne, and then the large, imposing figure of Emperor Zarkon himself. Even from a distance Katie can see that he towers over his people in stature. As terrifying as it is, there’s something about the way he carries himself, the aura about him, that chills Katie to the bone.

She finds her hands holding onto a part of Haxus’ armor. Before she realizes what she’s done, Haxus is grinning smugly and patting her on the head. Katie collects her hands into her lap, seeking something else to look at in embarrassment of her actions. She can’t continue being scared, or at least needs to stop reaching out for comfort that won’t be given. Not in the way that is truly comforting, anyway.

Zarkon sits upon the throne. Haggar remains to his side, retreating into the shadows and out of sight. Moments after he settles, the horn sounds again. 

From the opposite end of the arena, the gates to the prisoner holds burst open. A pink force field around the spectators shimmers as a gigantic alien jaguar leaps into the arena. The deafening roar shows off its saber tooth-like teeth.

The crowd goes wild.

“One hundred GAC on the Beast!” a Galra some rows below yells. 

A section from across the arena begins a chant for ‘Myzax’.

Curse her curiosity getting the better of her. She’ll likely find out who Myzax is in a few moments, but her lips part and the words are pushed out of her mouth before she can stop, “Who’s Myzax?”

Haxus’ gaze remains fixed on the jaguar, but he does respond. “A veteran gladiator of the arena. Rather popular thanks to his win percentage. The Beast has a reputation for no mercy; this is to be a battle of the arena’s finest.”

The cheering rises to a crescendo, breaking out into indistinguishable yells when the doors next to her and Haxus open with more ceremony. Katie can’t see over the wall, but knows something is wrong when the joyful and excited yells turn into jeers and boos. 

“That’s not Myzax!”

Though Katie doesn’t know what Myzax looks like, she knows the thin, pale, and shaking alien that enters the arena in a prisoner uniform is not him. Her heart is caught in her throat as her eyes dart between him and the raging beast pulling against its chains on the other side. This isn’t a gladiator like she’s used to seeing, with weapons and fighting experience. 

“It’s going to kill him,” she whispers in horror, hands shaking.

“Yes,” Haxus agrees boredly. “A bit strange to give one opponent an easy warm up like this.”

The jaguar is let loose and the prisoner shrieks, turning around and running the opposite direction. He bangs on the entrance, begging for entry, but the giant cat is too fast. It lunges towards the door fangs first. There’s a terrifying crunch and then blue goo splatters on the force field next to her.

Alien blood. 

Eyes wide in terror, Katie holds her mouth shut in fear she may throw up. She’s seen the invasions, gladiator versus gladiator fights… but this... this is murder for  _ entertainment _ . 

“Fear not,” Haxus says as he pats her head. “That will not be your fate so long as you remain loyal.”

Tears pool in her eyes, not because of the threat, but because it makes her feel safe; she has a purpose, a use.

It would take only Haxus deciding he didn’t need her around for her to be in that arena next. By the smug look on Haxus’ face, Katie thinks that is exactly the conclusion he wants her to come to. 

Once again he reminds her that her life is solidly in his hands.

Prisoner after prisoner is brought forth to fight against the jaguar. Some are stomped on, others torn to shreds, still others swallowed whole. 

“Make them stop,” she pleads in a harsh whisper. “I get it. I get the point. I’ll do better, just make them  _ stop _ .”

Haxus purrs in delight, with a grin to match. “As much as I want to reward you for that excellent bit of begging, this is not my doing. Myzax versus the Beast is the only fight that was scheduled for today.”

A large shadow looms over top of Haxus’ arms. Tyreck leans over to just whisper their way. “Just between you and me,” the warden says grimly, “We’re stalling for time. Myzax is injured.”

Katie’s heart drops. All these prisoners are being sent to their deaths when the one with the best chance heals. Depending on the injury, it could take days…

Against the will of her heart, her brain runs the numbers on how many people will die.

“A pity,” Haxus remarks as he leans back. “How long until the healing bed finishes?”

“Oh it's finished,” Tyreck says. “He’s got some stiff muscles he’s trying to work out. Gotta be able to hold that signature weapon of his or this crowd is going to get way worse than this”

Katie perks up, mind spinning in a million directions yet focused on one concept. “I can help!” she pipes up, perhaps a bit too eagerly. This is it, this is how she can help, do something good. Haxus narrows his eyes, clearly about to reject her. “My mom gets aches all the time after working in the garden, I know how to get the kinks out.”

The warden hums. “It’s worth a shot if you’ll let me borrow the girl.”

“Please,” she begs Haxus, and tries not to let his look of surprise that turns into approval get under her skin. “Let me try, then we can go,” Katie swallows deeply, hating her next word with all her heart, “home.”

She knows the moment it works, when his evil grin curls up his face. “Very well,” he says in a pleased manner. “I’m interested to see if you succeed.”

~~~~~

The dungeons are dark; silent but for the echoing cries of prisoners from behind cell doors. 

Katie follows closely after Tyreck, rubbing her fingers around the pendant of her cursed necklace. Though she’s glad Haxus remained in the stands, a knot is all jumbled up in her stomach from being apart after his near constant presence for so long. 

The warden leads her to a giant cell door at the end of a corridor. “Myzax is behind this door. Careful, Whelp, Haxus will have my head if you die.”

With only that warning, the door opens about four feet off the floor before stopping. Tyreck gestures for her to enter. Katie gulps and inhales deeply. She requested this, and lives will be spared the faster she works. She’s going to do better than the Red Lion...and justify it saving her life at the same time.

Exhaling, she ducks under the door and into the unlit cell. As soon she is fully inside, the door slams shut to the floor with a mighty thud. 

Katie jumps in alarm, clasps her hands together to stop them from shaking. “You’re a Holt, Katie. You can do this,” she whispers to herself. 

The corner of the cell moves. A large figure, maybe about as big as the Red Lion, shifts. 

“You are not the warden,” Myzax growls slowly. “When do I fight?”

Katie breathes in deeply and sets her jaw. “As soon as your back is better,” Katie says firmly. She clasps her hands into fists in resolve. “Where does it hurt?”

Myzax turns around, his harsh eyes are on her but a moment before he bursts into hearty laughter. “You?” he crows. “I could snap you in half; how can you ease my pain?”

“People are dying!” Katie snaps with a fury she wishes she could turn against Haxus. If Myzax wants to challenge her, then she will rise to it. “If you want to fight, I’m going to make sure you get out there and kick that jaguar’s tail!”

She stalks towards them, taking some satisfaction over Myzax’s utterly confused face. 

“What is a jag-you-r?”

“A cat,” Katie answers automatically as she sizes up the situation. There’s nothing in this cell apart from the two of them, no tools for her to make use of, so Katie does like a cat and climbs, using Myzax’s muscles as footing. “It’s a giant cat that lives in jungles. This one has huge protruding teeth and-”

“Ah,” Myzax interrupts with a pleased hum. “The Beast. I have been looking forward to defeating it and becoming the undefeated champion.”

Katie’s nose twitches in annoyance at being cut off. “And you will - you  _ have  _ to - otherwise the Galra are going to keep sending prisoners out there to die.”

“Including you?” Myzax scoffs. “Am I going to save your life, child?”

Katie pauses as she jumps up onto his arm, a sickening feeling pooling in her stomach. “No,” she says quietly. “It’s not my life on the line.”

But it could be one day.

“You are a soft heart,” Myzax says. “If you wish to survive in the Galra Empire, that must change. Either serve your master and destroy your sense of self or fight here for your life.” He pauses before continuing, “You will be crushed otherwise.”

It’s true. There are a lot of horrible things that Haxus or Sendak could do to her - have already done to her. She’s gone to sleep too many nights worrying about what they will do next. With nearly all of her possessions from Earth gone, all she has is the fading voices of her parents in her memory to encourage her and give her strength. 

_ “If you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great.” _

Like escape, when the odds are stacked against her. 

Katie bristles. “I won’t break!” she declares. “I’ve played along for this long, and I am  _ terrified _ ,” she continues with a quiver. “But no matter how scared I get, I imagine going home and seeing my family again. It keeps me going.”

And if she’s to keep her sanity, she needs to help Myzax and save as many prisoners as she can. Katie continues to climb. “Where’s it tight?”

Myzax laughs, boisterous. Katie loses her grip and screams as she slips off Myzax’s arm... only to land immediately on a solid surface. Myzax raises her in the palm of his hand until they are at eye level. 

“There is no escape from the Galra Empire, Child,” he says low and menacing. 

Fire burns in her soul, more than just wanting to prove everyone wrong and herself right. Finding a way home is her only option. “I’ll find a way,” she promises. 

Myzax stares for a long moment, then rather gently for a seasoned gladiator, places her on his shoulder. “Just below the shoulder,” he says as she skips off of his palm, holding her arms out for balance. “I can only wield my weapon with this arm.”

Katie knows exactly the place Myzax means. It’s the same sore she gets when she helps her mother pull weeds from the garden. “Move as close to the wall as you can,” she instructs, brows furrowed in focus. She holds her arms out in balance as he does as she asked, then wedges her back against the wall, feet placed squarely on Myzax’s back shoulder. 

“I’m going to move down, tell me which direction I need to go or if I’ve got the spot,” she orders. And she has to admit, being the one giving orders is invigorating. 

“Do not squish yourself, little one,” Myzax says less gruffly than before. 

“I don’t plan on it,” she responds, and allows the artificial gravity to help scoot downwards, pressing as hard as she can against Myzax’s muscles. 

Myzax hums with what Katie hopes is pleasure as she stomps and stretches and massages with her boots. The gladiator’s toned body helps orientate her by the shoulderblades being more pronounced. Katie finds the spot just below and sticks her foot to it.

Katie begins to rub. As she does so, her own muscles relax and a strange warmth pulses from an area not quite around her heart, but perhaps best described as her soul. As the warmth spreads to the tips of her fingers and the bottom of her toes, some of Myzax’s skin around her feet begins to turn green. It glows in the dark, washing on her face like warm rays from the sun as she stares slack-jawed. Tendrils ebb and flow like waves where she puts the pressure on with her boots. 

“Myzax, is it normal--” 

Her foot presses down again. Myzax throws his head back and lets out a mighty yell.

His back arches with it and Katie screams when she loses the tension that was keeping her up. Her stomach plummets the same time as she begins to accelerate towards the ground--

Only to be caught with lightning speed. 

“You did it, little one,” he tells her boisterously. “I am ready to defeat that jag-you-r now!”

Katie lies sprawled out on her back in the palm of his hand, struggling to rein in her hurried breaths as she props herself up by her arms. “G-good,” she manages. “Thank you for the catch.” Not since her one on one with Sendak has she been this close to death. Nearly as soon as she recalls it, she winces as the whip cracks in her mind.

“You cannot die yet,” Myzax tells her, blessedly bringing her out of her thoughts. “You must make it home.”

The sudden change of heart gives her pause, staring up at him with a frown. “What about never being able to escape?”

He gently lowers her to the ground. “You are more fierce than many of the gladiators here,” Myzax tells her as she finds her feet upon the cell floor. “If there is a prisoner who can escape, I believe it is you.”

Katie smiles broadly, heart soaring at the uplifting words. “Thank you,” she says.

Myzax grins. “Now, watch my battle. I will show you the might of the new champion and crush the jag-you-r in your honor.”

~~~~~~

Katie figures out the pattern after three rounds. Myzax has to recharge the orb every third throw. It’s a weakness that if he were fighting an intelligent being, would be exploitable. 

It is no trouble against the Beast. Even though it relentlessly goes to attack in close, Myzax meets it with strength for strength - and holds it back with only one arm! 

“Well, I see why he earned his veteran title,” Haxus remarks offhandedly. Katie is back in the stands, much more relaxed knowing that no more prisoners will die today. Though she really shouldn’t out of principle, she finds herself cheering silently for Myzax, wincing when he’s hurt and pumping her fist ever so slightly when he gets a good hit in. 

If it’s a good fight then the audience will be satisfied. 

“You’ve never seen him fight before?” Katie wonders. “Is he that famous?”

Haxus continues to keep his eye on the fight as the jaguar-beast changes direction off the force field, causing great cheers from that side of the arena. “The only thing more entertaining than the arena is gossip.” He grins toothily. “This is quite the show; you did well whatever you did.” He leans back into his seat. “Tomorrow I’ll give you access to some common medical practices, it will be useful for you to know basic first aid.”

“Sounds great,” Katie says absentmindedly, eyes fixated on the match. Whatever Haxus’ hidden meaning, it isn’t worth dwelling on. She’ll have to face it regardless. For now, she can relax knowing that she made a difference here today.

“It’s not just you!” the Tyreck says over the wall. “I’ve never seen him fight with this much vigor! He must want that champion title something bad!”

Katie smiles, a warm feeling in her heart that Myzax is doing this for her, both saving the prisoners from death today and also affirming her determination to go home. Neither Haxus or his friend need to know that and Katie is pleased to keep that information to herself. 

The jaguar’s breath is labored as it stands off against Myzax, who only rests a hand on his hip. With a mighty leap, the jaguar pulls all its energy together into one final attack. The attempt is stopped short, when the orb makes its return trip to Myzax’s weapon. As Myzax holds out his hand to grab one of the saber-teeth, the orb smashes into the jaguar’s head. 

The beast falls to the ground and does not get up. 

The arena erupts with cheers, chanting ‘champion’ over and over again. Katie sighs with relief. It’s over. Soon they’ll head back to the ship and leave this awful place behind. By the time Haxus wants to return to the arena, Katie hopes she’ll already be gone back to Earth. 

The ground shakes.

As dust in the arena clears, Katie, along with most of the audience, gasps, as Zarkon himself stands to full height. 

Without warning, the emperor unsheathes his sword. With speed Katie didn’t think possible for someone that size, Zarkon races towards Myzax. 

Katie holds her breath for her kind-of-friend, confused just as much as those seated around her sound. “What’s going on?” she desperately asks Haxus. “The fight is over.”

If the situation weren’t so horrible, Katie might have laughed over Haxus’ dropped jaw. “I have no idea,” he admits. 

Myzax meets the emperor weapon for weapon, admirably holding his own after such a hard fought battle. But Zarkon overpowers him seconds later, pointing the sword at his throat. 

“Where is the Green Lion?” Zarkon’s voice alone sends chills down Katie’s spine. 

“What?” Myzax says, echoing the murmur of the spectators. 

“My Lord,” says a cracked female voice. Out of nowhere, Haggar has appeared at Zarkon’s side. It breaks Katie’s brain - she didn’t jump like Zarkon, how had she gotten down? “He bears the touch of a Paladin, but he is not one. The Green Lion’s chosen is among your soldiers witnessing this today.”

Zarkon removes his sword and scans the arena, stopping halfway around... right where she sits. 

Katie is rooted to the spot. Though her entire body shakes and her heart nears burts from fear, she cannot look away. Ancient yellow eyes bore into her. For a terrifying moment, Katie remembers the words of Ulaz and Krolia, how she could be taken even further into the Empire, where her chances of escape are even slimmer. Fingers find Haxus’ belt an anchor against her wishes, where they latch on in some awful hope that it will keep her right where she is. 

Only after Zarkon drops eye contact and turns back to Myzax does she breathe again.

“Rise, Champion,” the emperor says. “Claim your prize.”

“Strength to continue to fight for your glory,” comes Myzax’s response that sounds very rehearsed, as if that was what all victors are expected to say. 

Zarkon turns to the crowd. “The Red Lion of Voltron has returned to us thanks to the efforts of Commander Sendak and Lieutenant Haxus,” he declares. 

The crowd goes wild. Haxus preens. Katie slumps into the wall, relieved for Myzax, but emotionally spent after a stare from the emperor himself. 

“Soon, Voltron will be found and nothing will stand against the Galra Empire.”

The noise of the crowd fades into the background for Katie as she tries to steady her breath. She still isn’t sure how powerful Voltron is, exactly, but the idea of Zarkon in control of it fills her heart with dread. 

A gentle purr comes clearly into the back of her mind despite the ruckus of the crowd, comforting. 

_ He bears the touch of a Paladin. _

Suddenly, Katie doesn’t find the purr so comforting.


	10. S.O.S.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie just wishes she were the one sending it out.
> 
> Warnings this chapter: electrocution

_ A Paladin of Voltron is the pilot of one of the Voltron Lions. Despite being machines, the Lions are sentient and choose whom they want as their Paladin. Zarkon is the Black Paladin, though the Lions, including his own, hide from him. _

This is all the information Katie has been able to obtain since searching in earnest after Myzax's fight. The rest is simply conjecture.

Rover’s databanks on Voltron itself are lacking, or at least what she's allowed to see. There are only the same images that Haxus once showed her when she first asked about the Lion-robot -weapon-thing. If Voltron was so powerful, why did Zarkon let it go so easily, or rather, who stole it from him? If each Lion needed a Paladin, then who were the other four?  _ Where  _ were the other four?

It seems to her that the Lions don’t like Zarkon anymore and perhaps his fellow Paladins hide from him. Or were killed if they were in opposition to his evil Empire, which seems a reasonable enough assumption. That meant, of course, Voltron was first an instrument of good and Zarkon intends to make it one of evil. Everything clicks right, except for the details of where and how and who. 

"Urgh!" she exclaims. Dropping the datapad onto her lap, she leans back, stretching her back over the armrest of the lounge room chair, arms splayed out past her head. A frown etches onto her face as she stares up at the large, grey ceiling tiles.

Her frustration is alleviated only slightly as the nebula caterpillar floats into her field of vision. Its concern for her prompts a smile, but...

Boring. It's so boring. Learning about the Galra Empire; language, traditions, basic military tactics, history, technology is only so entertaining when she can't apply anything she learns. There's been no way to escape. Sendak is a busy commander, taking care to invade planets from the air, never giving Katie the slimmest of chance on the planet's surface. Even knowing she could  _ possibly  _ rewire Rover to get to an escape pod, the cuffs on her wrists mean that she will never really be able to escape.

The most exciting thing she's done is run a spare part from the storage room back up to the bridge for Sendak.

"As long as she's here, she can be of use," she grumbles mockingly, flopping forward into the chair. She faces the glass window, taking some comfort in just being able to enjoy the quiet beauty of space. There's a golden-blue cat's eye nebula that fills up a quarter of the window, just like the one she saw the day Haxus abducted her.

Katie sighs, shoulders heaving and slumping as she rests on her side. She misses home, but time has dulled her hope of ever seeing it again. How many birthdays has she missed? "Rover...how long has it been since I first came here?"

Dutifully, as it has been by her side more often than even Haxus, Rover displays as many da- _ quintents  _ as it's been with her, following by combining them into phoebs, and then finally two deca-pheobs.

"Two years..." Katie sucks in a breath. She’s fifteen now. There was a time she told herself she'd only be kidnapped for a few days. That turned into a few weeks, until the end of summer, before the end of the year.

Yet two years later and she's no closer to escaping than she was when Haxus pulled her from falling into the depths of the engine room. It's enough to break her heart, but her heart is numb from the ease at which Sendak massacres entire planets and Haxus’ constant reminders that he  _ owns _ her.

Perhaps it’s time to admit that she’s exhausted all of her options. As much as she loathes the lack of control, any rescue is going to have to come from outside help. The realization doesn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. Maybe her heart already knew, was preparing her for what Ulaz and Krolia tried to tell her in a more kind manner than Haxus or Sendak. 

Myzax’s voice berates her for giving up, and her mouth tugs upwards for a moment, reminding her that she has supporters. Still, until an opportunity comes, all that is left for her is to do is search for the Voltron Lions. Nevermind there's been no sign of them since Red was found.

"So much for that extra quintessence being useful," she mumbles, lazily grabbing her datapad and bringing it to her face. With a swipe of her finger, she scans more lines of code, the scroll bar barely moved from the top of the page.

She could spend a lifetime and more searching. Idly she wonders if after her death, Haxus would find another poor soul to do this work.

Rover and the nebula caterpillar hover around and above her as Katie continues to work, eventually switching to her belly, feet up swaying back and forth. Back home she'd spend hours laying on her bed like this, reading the textbooks her father had authored, every now and then looking out her bedroom window and the small potted plant from her mother's greenhouse on the windowsill.

"You know what this ship needs, Rover?" she says aloud while keeping an eye on the screen, at ease talking to the robot rather than her taskmaster. "It needs some greenery. A nice little plant or something."

The drone beeps and projects an image of an elaborate cool colored forest, in every shade  _ but _ green.

Katie chuckles when she briefly looks over at it, before returning to her task. "I don't think Sendak would like an entire forest on his ship." She scrolls down further, smirking. "So it'd be perfect." Even though going to the family cabin each year wasn't her favorite activity, playing among the trees, breathing in fresh oxygen and listening to the natural sound of birds and bugs would be so sweet compared to the recycled air and constant hum of the engine as the only sounds aside from being given orders.

A reprieve, a day off, is that too much to ask for if she can't have her freedom?

Her lip wobbles. She could be here for the rest of her life, really honestly for the rest of her life and never see her family again.

She thought her heart was numb, but realizing that she's stuck with Haxus for  _ life  _ hurts just as much as it did on day one.

“I don’t want to live like this,” Katie tells her friend and guard quietly, not for the first time. “I wanted to come to space as a pilot, and explore.” And oh she’s done plenty of exploring, all to see it wasted by an ion cannon. She sighs, scrolling up on her datapad. “There has to be a better reason for me to be here.”

As if by her words, the very next line of the code glows in a beautiful ethereal green, reminiscent of when she healed Myzax’s shoulder and the ill-fated decision to fuel Haxus’ ship with her own quintessence, literally sending herself into captivity. 

Here, a double symbol pulses with that same energy. It dances in streams of lighter and darker green vertically out of the screen. Though Katie sits up on her knees and leans back in both alarm and awe, with each inhale of breath it moves closer, twisting like roots and vines. 

It tickles her nostrils. Cool and soothing, it travels through her nerves and lights up her senses like a Christmas tree. Her mind feels more alert than it’s ever been, more stimulating than any caffeinated beverage. Her arms and legs feel strong and her heart beats in excitement. The energy invigorates her soul, promising help, promising a way to fight, promising home.

Katie smiles as a gentle, but powerful purr accompanies the image in her mind of a green colored Lion of Voltron from deep within a forest. 

As the flood of energy abates and the green glow of the screen dies away, Katie takes the datapad back into her hands reverently. A double symbol is still there, just what Haxus wanted her to find. 

“You want to be found,” she whispers. “You want  _ me _ to find you.” Nothing else explains the persistent purr she’s heard over the years, coincidentally starting after she met Haxus. 

Her grip tightens around the sides of the datapad. She can’t tell Haxus, even if this is what she’s supposed to find for him. The Lions want to stay hidden from Zarkon. She won’t aid the Empire’s search, no matter if the Lions want to see  _ her _ .

Paladin. Chosen by the Lions. Their pilot.

The implication that...she is -  _ was _ \- chosen, both makes sense but also terrifies her. All this time she’s been in the Empire’s clutches. If Haxus knew - if  _ Zarkon _ knew - she could be killed or held in a far worse prison than limited rein on a battlecruiser. Rather than this lounge, she will rot in a cold, dark cell…

Why would the most powerful weapon in the universe want  _ her _ ?

“I’m so sorry,” she tells the symbol - tells the Lion. “I can’t get to you without giving us both away. You don’t want that, right?”

A final trickle of green energy gushes out of the screen like a tiny fountain. Katie’s ears perk up to hear the click-stomp of not one, but two pairs of armored boots headed her way. 

Gasping, she presses the button to turn the screen off and holds it to her chest. Rover beeps, indicating that Haxus is about to arrive. Katie reaches out and to the drone’s indignant vibrating, holds it close to her chest, making herself small against the backrest. “Shh,” she begs the robot, “don’t let him know we’re here, just this once.” 

A fool’s hope, with cuffs secure on her wrist that allow him to find her wherever she is. But hope is all she has left.

The door hisses across the open space, with Haxus already speaking.

“You need a drink.”

A stool squeaks with occupancy, accompanied by Sendak’s gruff grumble. “It will not solve the issue.”

Another bar stool squeaks followed by the slapping of the counter. She’s seen this scene play out before; soon a sentry will serve them both a bubbling pink cocktail that tastes like cough syrup with far too much honey. If she so much as coughs Haxus has her drink a cup of it to prevent any illness. 

“You are Emperor Zarkon’s chosen,” Haxus assures him. “Perhaps the Red Lion waits for the others to be retrieved?”

Katie sinks lower into the chair and tightens her grip on Rover. The nebula caterpillar, as if sensing the urgency, floats to rest beside her.

Sendak hums thoughtfully. “Have you located any of the others?”

“No,” Haxus admits frustratedly. “The girl is working at a reasonable speed and I’ve been occupied with the mission reports. I have half a mind to find a second slave, but finding one with her quintessence stores would take more valuable time off both of our hands.”

“Then tighten the leash,” Sendak suggests - orders? “She can work on the bridge, where you can keep an eye on her.”

It takes every fiber of Katie’s being not to make a sound. She tempers a sharp inhale into several short breaths. 

“Ugh,” Haxus groans. “Just as she’s finally somewhat complacent, she won’t take this well.”

A glass cup clanks against the counter. “I had my doubts when you first brought her on board, but I must admit I’ve come to enjoy her reaction to each conquest. You’ve done well.”

Katie’s stomach churns as Haxus laughs heartily. “You’ve been my commander long enough I thought you might.” 

Sendak laughs heartily. “I hope not too long, you’d be sick of me otherwise.”

Haxus chuckles, then claws tap in thought against a glass filled with drink. “There’s something strange about that girl, though.”

“The Red Lion?”

“Surely she can’t be? Even with a deep well of quintessence, she’s just a brat from nowhere. The Lions are meant to have  _ Galra _ Paladins - how else can the other Lions serve Emperor Zarkon?”

Katie’s arms tremble as she holds Rover closer. If… if she is who she thinks she is, then Zarkon is lying to his own people.

“The girl is one of many anomalies the universe holds,” Sendak responds. “The Red Lion reacting to her alone makes her presence here well worth it.”

“...and I do enjoy subjugating prisoners,” Haxus sighs with a kind of wistful reminiscence. “I don’t quite understand why, but it has been extra satisfying with her.”

Sendak laughs. “Then bringing her here was worth it.”

Fabric shuffles against armor. “Let’s make this next conquest more enjoyable then,” Haxus replies humorously. “I’ll have her on the bridge shortly.”

Heart in her throat, Katie forces herself to climb quietly off of the chair and onto the floor. She needs to sneak out of here before either of them realizes she’s overheard. It’s not as if they would keep this information from her, but Katie suspects eavesdropping might not be so kindly taken.

Rover and datapad securely in hand, her feet ease quietly onto the floor, her heart pounding, swallowing deeply to keep calm. She’s small enough to at least keep hiding between the chairs all the way to the sparring pit and then she’ll have to make a break--

White hot pain shoots through her arms and the rest of her body as her feet hit the floor. Katie falls to her knees as she screams. Her hands reach out to cushion her fall, but as they meet the floor her limbs fold like wet noodles. She turns only enough to land on her shoulder. Her legs jolt and body twitches as she gasps for needy breaths. Her eyes refuse to close as Haxus’ boots enter her vision. 

“I really should have expected you’d be here,” he says casually, collecting the datapad rather than her. “At least you’ve been working.”

No. No, he’ll see the Lion’s signature. Still weak, her left arm slips from under her as she tries to stand and stop him  _ somehow _ . The Green Lion has specifically asked for her help. After years of asking others to help her and never receiving, she refuses to let the Lion down. She is in a position where she can help someone, even if she can’t help herself. 

Metal claws drag her to vertical. Sendak holds her like a rag doll, feet inches off the floor. Katie blinks, scrunching her eyes shut as if it will ease the awful muddled feeling in her mind and set her limbs free. 

Rover beeps animatedly, as if regaling Haxus of how she’d silenced it, indignant as a robot without a face can be. 

“That saves the trouble of collecting her. I’ll take her to the bridge, my thanks for the drink,” Sendak offers. A flash of white crosses her vision as Sendak lumps her over his shoulder, her body clenching in pain. 

Katie manages to press her hands against Sendak’s armored shoulder, fighting the artificial gravity and a mushy brain to lift her head. Her spirit falls to despair as she’s just in time to see Haxus’ eyes widen, then stare directly at her. 

The way he smiles, cruel and gleeful and smug, makes her want to get away, to hide anywhere but here if she can’t punch and shatter it.

_ I’m so sorry, Lion _ , she sniffles. 

“It seems we have a change of plans,” Haxus preens as he hands the datapad to Sendak, speaking as if she’s no longer there. “Another Lion.”

Sendak’s facial fur brushes ticklishly against her face, his fangs prominent as his mouth curves upwards. “Your little project has been a great success.”

Katie grits her teeth, stretching away from his face and pounding on the armor. She’s so sick of being helpless and failing to make any progress in escaping. All she wants is down, to be on her own two feet and not held like an object. “You won’t get away with this!” she seethes indignantly, glaring holes into Haxus’ slightly bemused face and not even caring about whatever punishment she may face by mouthing off in Sendak’s presence. “I hate you both and your stupid emperor! The Lions don’t even--”

A loud roar swells in her brain and Katie forgets her line of angry thoughts. Between that and the hard line Haxus draws on his face, she realizes with a few more words and she’d have given away that the Green Lion has been calling to her, or at the very least she’s figured out Zarkon’s lie, neither of which Haxus or Sendak will take kindly to. Katie bites back the remainder of her tirade, everything about hating how they’ve treated her and how much she wants to go home. Not only will it be thrown in her face, but if Haxus were to find out she was planning to keep this information from him, all her current freedoms will be gone, along with any hope to help this Lion.

Haxus doesn’t speak for a long moment, and Katie’s heart thumps in her ears that she’s finally done herself in. Instead, he smiles wide. “Well done, Child,” Haxus commends. Katie winces as he steps forward and succeeds in ruffling her hair as she tries to wiggle away from him and out of Sendak’s grip - and fails. “You’ve finally learned to hold your lip.”

Through ragged breaths and a dizzy head she continues her glare. If she opens her mouth again, she’ll be doomed with the Lion, but she can at least show her displeasure. It’s not as if Haxus is ignorant to her hate of him and the Empire.

“I think the child deserves a reward for that,” Sendak says, though his delighted tone does nothing for Katie’s nerves. “Lieutenant, I am putting you in charge of the invasion.” 

Katie squeezes what joy she can out of seeing Haxus taken aback, because it does not last long before his look of shock turns into that of pride and salutes, “Vrepit Sa, Commander.”

There is no talk of anything for her. No, ‘if you assist with this you can go home’ or ‘you’ll be given a day off’ as Katie holds on to the shoulder pad of Sendak’s armor while he and Haxus walk down the hallways towards the bridge. They discuss what the new heading is for the ship, and how many of the sentries to mobilize; Sendak leaving Haxus to make the final decisions, though he agrees to every one. 

“The planet is mostly forested,” Haxus says as he reaches his console on the bridge. The video screen in front of the helm shows an image of a planet. Katie deflates as it reminds her painfully of Earth, albeit with less water visible. It’s the last she sees of it, yelping as Sendak lifts her off his shoulder and drops her to the side of Haxus’ console. Like each time before, a pink cord materializes from the base and connects with one of the shackles on Katie’s wrist. 

Too short a cord to stand properly, Katie slumps against the console and squeezes her eyes shut in frustration. She can hate Haxus all she wants, but it’s the lack of control she really hates. 

“Change heading to halo zero beta.” Sendak commands. He stands on his platform, hands to his side. “Hail the Emperor, he will want to know of this.”

Katie’s body moves against the wishes of her heart, twisting to see the image of Zarkon himself. She’s not seen him since Myzax’s match at the arena. The lack of any emotion in his eyes sends chills down her spine, shivering as the glowing, yellow eyes narrow.

“Sendak,” Zarkon acknowledges. 

“I am moving out of the sector for planet Terail. There is reason to believe a Lion of Voltron is hiding there,” Sendak replies straight and to the point. 

“I look forward to your return.” There is a pause, and Katie believes Zarkon is about to cut off communication, but he continues. “Bring your lieutenant’s slave girl along with the Lion.”

He knows. 

The link disconnects and Katie can’t breathe, staring into the void of space where the view screen used to be. That’s her. Zarkon wants to see her. Suddenly the roar of the crowd from the arena places her back in her seat, gasping as Zarkon descends to the pit. Rather than fight Myzax, he turns towards her first. “You are not fit to be the Green Paladin,” he says, before lunging her way. Katie scrambles to hide behind Haxus, but he isn’t there. The audience is all gone. She stands to run, only to be stopped by a chain from her wrist to the bench. Zarkon smashes the barrier with his giant sword, then lifts it before her. Katie screams and ducks away, holding her arms over her head and--

A strong hand around her arm snaps her back to Sendak’s bridge. “As glad as I am that you rightfully fear our Emperor, you’ll do well to keep your sobs and terror until the time comes.” Haxus drops the datapad before her. “You have work to do.”

Haxus then promptly ignores her. As Katie reins in her fear, she realizes Haxus didn’t sound happy. Normally he thrives off incidents like this, but he’s left her alone. 

_ The witch is second in power only to the Emperor. _

_ You’re better off with Haxus. _

He thinks he’s going to lose her to Haggar. 

For the first time, Katie agrees with him.


	11. Calculating Escape Velocity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes an outside variable is needed. 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: electrocution, minor character death

“Come on, Pidge! Your outfit is fine - we’re going to be late!” 

Katie smiles, excitement rising in her heart for the event, overriding any annoyance she has over her brother’s silly nickname for her. She stands at the threshold of her bedroom, leaning out into the hallway to see Matt at the top of the stairs, one hand already on the rails. He’s dressed in his old high school clothes, the ones before he was accepted into the Galaxy Garrison, and gesturing for her to come with him. 

A chuckle works its way out of her mouth, warmed by the comfort of Matt’s familiar teasing that somehow always comes across as reassuring. She just has to wear what she feels comfortable in and no one else’s opinion matters. “Okay, okay, I’m coming!”

Out of force of habit, Katie moves to straighten her favorite green and white tunic before leaving her room. But when she looks down, gone is the grey leggings she wears with them, and instead a thick black suit with a raggy purple shirt over top. Now that she sees them, the rubbery feeling is so distinct she isn’t sure why she didn’t notice in the first place. 

A foreboding fills her stomach and her throat constricts in anticipation of something - what she isn’t sure yet. These  _ aren’t  _ her clothes. 

Matt rolls his eyes. “I call shotgun then!” he teases before he races down the stairs. 

“Matt, no, wait!” Katie calls in panic, reaching out as if she’ll grab his shoulder to stop him. But he’s already gone by the time her fingers extend outwards. She lifts her foot to follow… but it is heavy, rooting her immobile to the floor. 

“Matt!” she calls again, louder this time, more afraid as the foreboding twists around in her stomach like a pretzel. Any moment now something is coming and--

It begins around her wrists, but the electricity shoots through the nerves in her arms and travels through her body. Katie screams. 

And wakes up. 

As soon as the shock passes through her system, chilled recycled air hits her warm clothes. As she wills her body to still its shaking, taking slow heavy breaths, her memory returns. The familiar sounds of the computer booting up echoes in the room. The sticky and worn purple padding squishes beneath her arms. The nebula caterpillar sits on half her pillow, fur sticking up from the static.

Haxus stands at her bedside, in her peripheral vision, holding up the coziest thing she doesn’t own - the blanket. 

“You’d sleep the day away if I let you,” he comments with a disappointed sigh. He drops the blanket to the ground and walks towards the computer. All around the room, the magenta lines light up and illuminate the office. Back to her, he says urgently, “There is much to do. Get ready.”

Katie pushes herself to sit up and stares at the cuffs around her wrists. Nearly two years of waking up Haxus’ slave and she still isn’t used to it. 

“Y-you don’t need my help today,” she says, shuddering from the after effects of the shock. “I won’t be much good just standing on the bridge.”

Haxus doesn’t answer right away, opting to tap in some words into the keyboard first. “Nonsense. You’re the one who discovered the Green Lion’s location, you’ll be coming planetside with me. It’s your reward.”

The revelation shocks Katie more than the electricity had. She hasn’t been outside of a spaceship since leaving the moon with the rebel base. A part of her yearns for the real atmosphere, but the price is far too steep. “You’re going to turn that planet into a battlefield,” she says before she can stop. 

There’s a delighted smirk as he turns his face to her, that look that tells her that he still enjoys watching her reactions to what she sees and what he does. “You are my shadow.” He chuckles, turning back to his work. “This is an important mission, I’ll need you at my side as a show of power. So long as you do so, no harm will come to you”

So ends the conversation as his fingers fly across the keyboard, eyes transfixed on the screen. 

Katie sighs heavily. She’s lived by those words for so long that it’s become the new normal, no matter how much she hates that it is so. It’s such a false sense of security, living by the whims and promises of the alien who orchestrated her kidnapping, but every day the true safety of her family and her home burrow deeper into her memories. 

She can’t remember what a proper hug feels like, replaced by the tension she feels when Haxus ruffles her hair.

Shivering, Katie pulls her body into motion so that the kinetic energy creates some type of warmth. Holding her arms, she strides over to the washroom door. Rover beeps at her approach and opens it for her. 

A fat, cylindrical pouch - breakfast - sits on the vanity waiting for her. If Haxus has her meal picked out and ready for her, then there’s no time for a shower. Considering the importance of the day, Katie is honestly surprised that she’s been afforded any time to eat or tidy up. After she relieves herself, Katie plops down on the chair before the mirror and stares at herself. 

Tired bags are present under her eyes with tussled hair in desperate need of a brushing. A shaky hand rests against the base of her neck, overlaid by angry red lines that cover the veins at the back of her hand like lightning. They run all the way up her forearm, apparent from the many shocks originating from the cuffs that have remained secure on her wrists for two years.

And a scar across her eye, a constant reminder of Sendak’s lesson.

There is a frown, just like she feels. Today, no matter what, Haxus discovers the Green Lion and likely that she’s its Paladin. It will be all over. Rather than an insignificant pet of Haxus, she’ll be a prisoner of Zarkon. Neither is preferable to the other, but at least here she’s had two years to become accustomed to the treatment. She’s taken care of and kept alive here, with a fading hope to see her family again one day. With Zarkon, she doesn’t know. 

An angry beep followed by two soft ones jolts her back to reality. Her smile comes naturally, but only out of practice.

“Hey, Rover,” she greets with pretend cheer. “Telling me I should eat?”

Rover beeps again, its power lines blinking red.

The growing pains in her stomach agree with the drone. Each sip of goo goes down quickly to avoid lingering on its tastelessness. She then picks up a coarse brush and gently glides it through her hair. It’s longer than she’d like it to be after years of no maintenance, but she hasn’t gathered up the will to ask Haxus to cut it for her. He might cut more than she wants, making it to  _ his  _ liking. 

Her eyes dart to her hair tie, placed in a spot of honor on the desk up against the glass. Despite convincing herself she had already mourned her old clothes after they were torn by the whip, she cried for hours when Haxus finally did take them from her and tossed them in the incinerator. Now, this worn band is all she has left of home. Katie sets her hair up high and to the side, the same style as she had it when she left Earth. 

When she goes home, she’ll look as much as her family remembers as she can manage. 

Usually this is the end of her routine, but as she moves to stand, her eyes catch the small bottle of perfume.

With a huff, Katie sits back down and gently takes the glass bottle into her hands. There’s no label, but she knows it smells of a very distinctive alien flower. It isn’t a bad smell, very sweet and refreshing, like after a rain. 

But she doesn’t want to wear it. Haxus gifted it to her a few months ago for the anniversary of her coming here. There’s a big tournament at the arena coming up, Haxus told her, and she should look and smell nice for her potential future mate.

One more reminder that her life is not her own, and may never be again. 

She’s almost certain she won’t be going as a spectator, anyway. Perhaps as a participant if Zarkon wishes the death of the Green Paladin. 

Katie takes a deep, shuddering breath. Images of the ion cannon firing on the planet that harbored the Red Lion race through her memory. She brings her hands to her face, elbows on the vanity holding the weight of her upper body, tired physically and emotionally. 

Rover beeps curiously beside her, in its usual low, angry tone. 

The little robot saves her from panicking. Whatever she bears witness to today won’t be in her control. “I should probably wear it, shouldn’t I?” she inquires of the drone before her eyes fall back on the bottle. “Haxus would like that,” she says softly. 

Inflating his ego doesn’t always work to her advantage - he’s more prone to show her off to his peers typically - but there’s a decent chance he’ll let her retire early for the evening. 

She’s learned so much since coming here, enough that perhaps, if given the chance, she can send a distress signal or gain access to an escape pod. A tiny bundle of nerves coils together in her stomach at just the thought of having a possible plan of escape. Leaving this place and Haxus is the only proper way she can make all the knowledge she’s gained within the last two years worth it and avoid whatever Zarkon has planned for her.

So she knits her eyes shut and sprays the mist all over her body. The scent is overwhelming and she coughs it out. 

The door opens, ending her few minutes of privacy. Haxus stands in the doorway, expectant. “Time to go.” He sniffs, and a smug smile follows. “You’re finally wearing my gift.”

Katie frowns, metaphorically digging in her heels and being careful not to be sassy. “Big day,” she says neutrally.

“Indeed it is,” he frowns, then sighs, mouth morphing into a smirk - to console him or her Katie doesn’t know. “If all goes well perhaps you’ll have a chance of scenery when I get my own ship to command.” He turns to allow room for her to exit into the main office. “Bring the datapad, the cuffs, and the med kit,” he orders. 

The handcuffs are a new addition to what she normally carries around for Haxus all day, but it's easy to understand why. There will be prisoners and interrogations that she’ll be witness to, if the sentries don’t kill everyone first. 

A flicker of light catches her attention in her periphery. Even though she’s about to go to war, Katie can’t help but smile as she sees the nebula caterpillar floating at eye level with her. Its fur is more blue-green, an improvement over the dusty green when they first met. 

“You’re flying!” she exclaims, spirits lifted. The blue-green darkens into a forest green and its cheek marks glow for a full five seconds. Even though Katie’s parents are scientists, they never shied away from believing in the power of love to help her and Matt feel better when sick. In the case of the nebula caterpillar, feeding off Katie’s positive emotions has literally nursed it back to health. 

It trills with a melodic chime and descends, burrowing into her purple overshirt, head popping out of the collar.

Katie laughs. “You want to come keep me company too, huh? Well, it’ll be good for you to get outdoors.” ...And no matter what happens to her after today, she must set it free on this planet.

Katie grabs the med kit from the vanity and grips it tight. She helped the nebula caterpillar and Myzax. Armed with bandages and medicine, maybe there is something within her control today. 

~~~~~

It looks like a battlefield, but the battle is over. 

There are scorch marks all over the multitude of trees and sentries dirty the gentle river. Katie jumps out of the shuttle after Haxus and onto soft sand. Rover nips at the hair behind her, ever the vigilant guardian. The nebula caterpillar pokes out of her shirt, observing its new surroundings. Over the burnt smell of blaster residue are sights of green forests, blue water, and lush flowers that remind her of home. It reminds her specifically of camping at the cabin. She inhales sharply to prevent the well of sentimentality rising high enough to cry over. 

A warm breeze carries a comforting purr to her ears. Katie takes a deep breath and tries to let it be reassuring as it feels it's meant to be. She knows the Green Lion means well, offering support occasionally, but now that Katie knows, the words of Ulaz and Krolia urging her to remain silent on the matter of the Lions weighs extraordinarily heavy on her mind. If they figured out who she was so quickly, surely Zarkon has too.

Right now, Katie just soaks in how good it is to feel the fresh air after so long in space. She may not get to enjoy it ever again.

Haxus breathes in deep, annoyingly so. His hands are folded neatly behind his back. “This was far too easy,” he says, pleased. He places a hand on a splintered wooden pole. On it are several markings, most notably a vague figure of a cat - a lion. “What is the status of locating the Lion?”

“Search is ongoing,” reports a nearby sentry. 

Haxus clicks his tongue in annoyance. “That search is priority number one. Are there any prisoners?”

The sentry points to the beach. On the sand not far away, lies a brown fur coated creature of great height. It is guarded by two sentries. As it attempts to sit up. Katie gasps in horror as one of the sentries forces it back down roughly with an electric pole. It bellows in pain, the sound carrying through the air and rattling the leaves on the trees. 

She shouldn’t be surprised at the brutality after witnessing what happens in the arena, but she still is. Carefully, she pushes the nebula caterpillar back into her shirt.

“Oh good, this one can still speak,” Haxus says casually as he walks past her and towards the creature.

Katie clenches her teeth and grips the med kit a bit more tightly than usual, heart burning in anger. No matter how often she witnesses these atrocities, it still angers her to the core. Only practiced motions force her legs to move and follow after Haxus. No good will come if his amusing little alien pet isn’t at his side. 

The creature reminds Katie of home too, a sloth in all ways but it acts humanoid, wide feet for walking upright. But it is in great pain even as it snarls at Haxus.

“Tell me where the Green Lion is,” Haxus begins cooly. “I will not ask again.”

And he means it, Katie knows.

Sloth growls in slow motion, teeth bared... until his eyes meet her’s. 

Instantly his features melt into some kind of awe, and then compassion that is beyond her. Katie finds herself staring back as his eyes linger. Prisoners have asked about her situation before, and even given her looks of similar sympathy - but this feels different, like she’s seen this same look of realization towards her...

The light bulb goes off in her heart, and then her memory. Sloth looks at her as if he knows her. It’s the same look Nelas gave her before Haxus killed him beneath the Red Lion. He’d been about to call her something that day, though to this day she still doesn’t know what.

_ Paladin. _

Which should be impossible, for two aliens to have recognized her as if they knew her - knew  _ what _ she was with so few clues, surmising what she’s only just discovered herself. Her heart goes in her throat. She’s fortunate Haxus  _ hasn’t  _ made the connection, after Ulaz and Krolia both did after only a short conversation.

“Intrigued by my pet?” Haxus airs with curiosity. Katie stiffens as he gently takes her far shoulder and brings her in for a hug, followed by a pat on the head. “She’s from a little planet called Earth. Looks a fair bit like an Altean, doesn’t she?”

Wait. A what?

Curse her curiosity, she can’t stop her mouth from asking, even after years of knowing the answer isn’t going to be anything she likes. “Altean? What’s an Altean?” she blurts out to his face.

This is a new variable. Haxus has never compared her to... whatever an Altean was.

“See? Very adorable when she asks questions.”

But Haxus isn’t looking her way. She follows his eyes that are trained on Sloth, who flinches.

“You do know something,” Haxus says with evil delight. Pressing a hand to her back, Haxus pushes her forward. She falls to her knees with a yelp on the sand beside Sloth. “Patch him up. I will get my answers one way or another. Sentries, with me. Drone, keep an eye on them.”

Haxus leaves her there, for the first time in a long time that isn’t just to put her to bed. She can run…

But she’ll never get off this planet. And... Sloth falls to his side, coughing up dark red blood. This creature needs her help. She can’t leave without trying. After witnessing her reaction to the arena, Katie isn’t at all surprised Haxus is taking advantage of just that. 

“Hold on,” she whispers soothingly, dropping the bundle in her arms to the sand and putting her hands on its side. “You need to lie down properly.” After a deep breath, she pushes. Sloth is heavy. Katie grunts and groans under Rover comes to her side and helps push Sloth onto his back. 

“I’m so sorry, I’m going to do whatever I can to help you,” she promises, fumbling through the first aid kit, at the same time wondering how she is ever going to treat such serious injuries with bare minimum tools, basic training, and almost no experience. “The antiseptic contains calcite, and it's perfect for making a barrier around your wounds - your skin will heal faster. And if you feel any better at all, you can run, okay? You... you don’t want to stay with the Galra.”

Rover beeps disapprovingly and Katie ignores it, completely focused on her patient. 

Sloth gently lays its claws over her hands, stilling the trembling she wasn’t aware she was doing. She raises her gaze to meet its soft, brown eyes - the kindest eyes she’s seen since she was taken from her family. With a gentle coo, it nods to the forest at her back. 

“Oh. No, I couldn’t,” Katie insists when she realizes what Sloth is telling her. “I’m not leaving you to their mercy. I’ve…” she gulps, tears pricking at her eyes as her thoughts drag her sharply back to the blood splattered on the arena force field. “I’ve seen too many people die. I want it to stop. I... I want to go home.”

Above the sand on the bank, on broken stone poles, and on river stones all around them, carvings of all shapes and sizes light up in an emerald green tone. Katie thinks they might have once told a story, but splintered she can’t decipher it. 

The blue water mixes with the light from the green ciphers invitingly. 

Katie is so in awe she forgets her patient until he coughs violently. Blood splatters on her face and clothes. 

“No. No no no!” she says fearfully. “You have to hang on!”

Sloth keeps his claws pointed towards the river for as long as he draws breath. Then falls to rest on the sand, a peaceful and satisfied look upon his face. 

Katie cries, fists to the sand. “I hate this! I hate this so much!” she screams. She sniffles and inhales, keeping ragged breaths between the tears. She knows there is more to life than watching the Galra invade planets, helpless to do anything about it. 

Bent over, the lingering perfume wafts by her nose, reminding her that there are consequences to running away. 

Does she dare go into the forest and fulfil Sloth’s dying request? If she goes, at best she will live out the rest of her life away from Haxus. At worst, Haxus will find her using the locator cuffs and decide whether she’s still amusing to him or not. The odds are stacked against her. It would be against all reason to go.

What is an Altean?

Katie thinks if she answers that question, she might have a lot of answers to why Haxus really decided to kidnap her in the first place. 

She stands, walking to the edge of the river as if in a trance. With the glow around her, Katie feels increasingly connected with what Sloth - no - what the entire forest wants of her. That reassuring purr that she’s heard so many times since meeting Haxus urges her.

_ Enter.  _ The Green Lion wishes her to come meet face to face, stirring a feeling of homecoming in her heart, of safety, of this being the right thing to do.

Katie takes one step into the river and Rover is in her face, beeping angrily and shoving her back by the forehead. 

“Ow, Rover that hurts!” she tells it. “Can’t you be on my side for once?”

Rover continues to beep as Katie dodges its nudges, frustration growing by the moment. “You’re supposed to be looking after me!” she yelps. She stands her ground, glaring as she tightens her fingers into fists. “If I don’t do something, I’ll be in Zarkon’s hands. I’ll be put in a prison cell or killed,” just saying the word grounds her to this awful reality. “Either way I don’t think you’ll be with me. You’ll go back to being another regular service drone.”

Katie takes a trembling breath as Rover’s beeps calm, quiet as can be while she continues, “I know you’re supposed to keep me captive, but you’re also supposed to help me do things I can’t on my own. I can’t escape on my own. Please, Rover. Help me.”

Dark purple dims to a softer lilac and Rover hovers closer, just within arms’ length.

A rumbling roar fills her heart with encouragement and pride.

Katie quickly surveys the area to make sure no one is around. Without supervision, Rover  _ can  _ be on her side.

She's already disobeying orders this far, why not go all the way? 

She smiles, heart overwhelmed with relief. “Thank you, Rover. I think we’ve known each other long enough to be friends,” she says gratefully, and with tears in her eyes.

Rover makes no sound of alarm while Katie opens its side panel open and reconfigures the wires inside. Rover reboots, and instead of the purple she’s used to, the energy lines are pretty green. 

“Feel better, Rover?” she asks hopefully.

Rover beeps approvingly, much more friendly than in the past two years.

“Thought so,” she smirks. 

The green glow on the former service drone’s casing blinks. It beeps enthusiastically as it dives down towards first Katie’s left hand and taps it, then does the same for the right.

Katie can’t stop herself from grinning, heart full of joy she almost forgot was possible. “Our secret handshake!” She holds out her elbow and Rover taps it with an excited whirring noise. 

Holding her hand up high, Rover taps it for the final high five. With an escape in motion, Katie feels none of the fear and hesitation she thought she would after witnessing the martial prowess of Haxus and Sendak. There is only excitement over the possibilities for her that are surely better than what she leaves. “Now that you’ve got a new lease on life, let’s go.”

A large cat purrs inside her head in approval. Katie really smiles, spirit bolstered. “You want to meet me, Green Lion? Here I come!”

~~~~~~

The forest is peaceful this deep in. Katie wades in the river for a while, following the carvings that glow green at her approach. Every now and then she ducks herself completely under - enough times that she can get the scent of the perfume off of her. It won’t do any good to get Haxus off her tail since he’ll just use the locator cuffs, but it feels good to have it off.

Vines reach up to the canopy, cocooning something large among them. Katie can’t see what is inside, but she knows.

“Hey, Green Lion,” she says as she slowly approaches. She stops at the base, craning her neck up. “You’re... pretty tall... just like Red.”

She places a hand on the vines, clearly old and weathered. Cool to the touch at her level thanks to rain or recent flood, untouched by the blaster fire of Haxus’ troops. “It’s been you this whole time, hasn’t it?” she says quietly. “You tried to tell me not to get on the ship that night. And you’ve been telling me you’re out there.” She cocks her head to the side. “Why?”

The Green Lion rumbles approvingly in answer, though Katie only receives feelings of belonging and love - pride in her intellect, curiosity, and daring. 

“You’ve been waiting for me,” Katie says quietly in realization. “How was I supposed to find you? How did you know who I am?”

A vision of Earth, more specifically the desert surrounding her home at the Garrison fills her mind. But its an area she’s never been to. She sees inside a cavern filled with streams of water, giant blue and red paws when she looks down. It’s eyes glow and her mind goes to that moment before she enters Haxus’ ship that fateful night.

Her throat tightens - Green hadn’t been the one who tried to warn her that night. “The Blue Lion is on Earth?” Fear coils in her stomach while realizing that the Red Lion had saved her life that day in Sendak’s hangar at  _ Green’s _ request. Haxus has largely forgotten about going back to her planet, but if he knew the Blue Lion was there… Katie sucks in a breath. He thought the Lion detector had broken in the crash.

Except that it had been pointing at her the entire time, the Paladin.

It hadn’t been broken.

If Haxus had realized that, she would have had to watch the invasion of Earth already.

She  _ will _ have to witness the invasion of Earth when Haxus finds out now. Her family…

“I have to stop him from hurting Earth!” she tells Green desperately. “Please, you keep calling out to me, all you Lions keep protecting me, help me stop Zarkon - for both our families!”

The Green Lion roars, louder and more terrible than she has ever heard it before. Healthy vines crack and snap apart as if they were brittle and a strong gust flies past Katie.

Then, before her, the Green Lion in all its glory bends its paws before her and opens its mouth. A ramp beckons her inside; a promise to escape.

“Thank you,” Katie says breathlessly, tears in her eyes. Finally, someone is going to help her. Her shoulders slump in relief moments before running up the ramp and into the Lion’s maw. 

The interior of the Green Lion is unlike anything the Galra have. Rather than dark grey and menacing purples and reds, the Green Lion has plentiful life-filled green tones and a soothing light grey. When Katie enters the cockpit, the screens light up for her to see the outside. When she sits on the seat, it moves her forward. At  _ her  _ touch - unlike on Sendak’s ship - everything on the dashboard activates. 

It’s more freedom than she’s had in years. Katie can’t wipe the smile off her face. The Lions pick their Paladins, is what Haxus told her years ago. The one the Galra are here for is  _ her  _ ship. 

She won’t let them have it. 

As Green stands, the familiar sights of purple speeders and sentries fill the area in front of her. Katie’s smile drops as Haxus’ face fills the viewscreen. He’s shocked for just a moment, before turning to anger. 

“Get out of the Lion right now, Girl,” he orders, “and your punishment for running off will be light.”

Katie’s hands shake. Haxus’ threat sends chills of terror down her spine, the invisible scars on her back from Sendak’s interpretation of punishment sting with memory. Never has she seen him  _ seething  _ before. There’s no doubt in her mind that he will follow through on his words.

Green purrs in her mind - saying she has her back. Below, Haxus opens his wrist cuff and presses the button inside, the one that activates her cuffs.

Nothing. No electricity. No pain.

Katie smiles. There is either an issue with the distance, or Green is protecting her. Either way, she has the upper hand right now - it's empowering and she’s pragmatic enough to take advantage of it. 

“Tell me everything!” she demands. “What’s an Altean? Why are the Lions hiding from Zarkon if he’s their owner?”

“That is  _ Emperor  _ Zarkon to you, Child!” Haxus howls back. Then, to Katie’s satisfaction, a look of realization on his face as his hands curl into a fist. “How do you know the Lions are hiding?”

“That’s what I thought!” she shoots back with a satisfied grin. “Tell me the truth!”

Haxus sets his jaw before calmly asking, “If I tell you, will you come out?”

Katie leans back in the pilots’ chair -  _ her  _ chair, Green assures her. Just like the fighter pilot she always wanted to be, that her family encouraged her to be. “I’ll think about it,” she counters, using her position of power to full effect.

“I’ve told you that Voltron is the most powerful weapon in the universe, when all five Lions join together. That much is true,” Haxus says, his voice teetering on impatience. “It was built by the Alteans ten thousand years ago.”

Green rumbles in approval, corroborating Haxus’ story. 

“Is that why you kidnapped me? Because I look like an Altean?” she presses. 

Rather than look as if he’s been caught red-handed, Haxus’ mouth curls into an awful smile. “A happy accident.” He steps forward, giving off that suave aura that he had when he treated her to the mechanics lesson on Earth. “Just as I suspected you would be, you’ve been a great  _ service  _ to the Galra Empire. Finding two of the Voltron Lions while in my custody is proof of that.” His mouth curls into a smirk. “Have you not learned more than you could have ever hoped to on your home planet?”

Katie snaps at his sweet talking tone that first lured her from her home. “Yeah, and never get to apply it!” she yells back accusingly. 

Haxus chuckles. “Now look at you, chosen by the Green Lion to be its Paladin.” The words swell in Katie’s heart with mixed emotions, delighted to be accepted as special by a being of good, but horror stricken as she realizes that it puts her at the very heart of the opposition to Zarkon’s Empire.

He holds out his arm. “By bringing you from the backwater of the universe, you can now meet your destiny as our Emperor’s shield.”

Tears fling from Katie’s eyes as she jolts her upper body forward. “You took me from my family!” she yells with uncontained rage. “You lied to me and made my life miserable!” Her arms shake, hands gripping the throttle so tightly it threatens to break skin. “I’m taking my fate into my own hands!”

Out of pure instinct she pushes the throttle forward. The Green Lion roars and fires a beam cannon from her tail. Katie’s aim is off, but she takes out half of Haxus’ sentry force. 

“Capture the Lion! Get her out of there!” Haxus orders furiously around him. 

Katie grips the throttle with both hands, knuckles white. Head down, she stares at her feet as she says softly, “I want to go home.”

But she knows she can’t. Haxus will go there first and find the Blue Lion. She has to keep him away from it. If he wants her and the Green Lion, he’ll follow her through the cuffs she still wears. 

So be it. She’ll run forever if it means to keep her family safe. Even if it means she’ll never see them again. 

Green roars in acknowledgement. Katie mourns for a home she expects she’ll never see again. Rover beeps sadly beside her and the nebula caterpillar loses some pigment.

“Okay, you guys,” Katie says with resolve in her heart. “If we’re going on the run, let’s do it in style. We’re gonna free Red.”

It’s the least she can do since it saved her life that day years ago.

There’s a joyful roar as the Green Lion breaks the atmosphere with precision and speed superior to any ship on Earth or in the Galra fleet. Just like the fighter pilot manuals she read over and over again, images of maneuvers and weapons file into her head. Katie follows the instructions, the controls simple, as if she’s been doing this her entire life.

Dozens of drone-piloted fighters meet them upon their approach to Sendak’s ship. As if turning the page of a book, Green shows Katie the instructions for how to stop, bank, and flip around. Then the page falls to the beam cannon in Green’s maw and Katie pushes the throttle forward to unleash destruction on at least half of the fighters. 

“The Red Lion is in docking bay twelve!” Katie tells Green. “Can we break the door open?”

Green growls in affirmation. Katie doesn’t think she imagines the Lion speeding up. Twisting through more fighters, Katie pushes the throttle forward for another blast on the bay doors, hoping that they hadn’t moved the Red Lion since she saw it all those years ago. 

“Yes!” she exclaims, hands up in the air in celebration when the Red Lion drifts into the vacuum of space, surrounded by its force field. “Kitty Rose has left the stage!”

The Green Lion roars and the Red Lion responds with eyes glowing a bright yellow, brighter and warmer and more powerful than Haxus or any other of the other Galra. The Red Lion comes to life, bursting out of its protective shield and flying in formation with Green.

The lights inside of the Green Lion’s cockpit blink red with danger. A heads up display appears to her left, showing the tracker beam being prepared.

“Oh no,” Katie pleads. “We have to get out of here before we get hit with that. Otherwise you two will be captured and I’ll--”

Be forced to serve Zarkon directly and fight for him. Or killed on the spot for being a Paladin when she’s sure Zarkon meant for someone else to be his shield. 

Green sends comforting vibes her way, affirming that Katie alone is the Green Paladin, and roars. In the near distance, a green ring appears before them. 

“Is that a wormhole?” Katie sniffs her tears back as she asks. “I can’t go home. Where else can we go?”

Warmth and safety, feelings of home that Katie recognizes fills her. But they aren’t her feelings, they are Green’s feelings. 

“You want to take me to  _ your  _ home?”

Green purrs in acknowledgement. 

Katie smiles sadly. This freedom is bittersweet. “If your home is anything like where you were staying... I think I’d like it.”

Whatever awaits her beyond that wormhole, Katie is sure that it is better than what Haxus offers. Or what Zarkon may do to her.

“I wish I could show you all the things I’m about to see, Matt,” she says sadly but with a smile. The entire universe awaits her and Green, and Red if it follows. “And make up for missing the meteor shower with you. I’d even let you call me Pidge all you want.”

Green rumbles in amusement and approval.

“You like it?” Katie inquires with a laugh. She wipes the remainder of the tears from her eyes. “I guess Pidge isn’t  _ too  _ bad a name. You can call me that too if you want.”

Matt was right. Pidge did have kind of a nice spacey feel to it.. 

And Haxus doesn’t know her by that name. 

“Pidge it is then,” she decides firmly, narrowing her gaze towards the wormhole. “Let’s go home.”

Pushing the throttle as far as she can forward, Green flies into the wormhole and Pidge onto the next chapter of her life. 


	12. Together Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some families always find each other, in every reality.

The nebula caterpillar floats freely around the cockpit, investigating Rover, and Rover in turn scanning the floofy alien with a rectangular beam. Its fur is now a lovely bright green with a beautiful creamy underbelly. It's the healthiest its ever looked, almost just like the images of ones in the wild 

Uninhibited joy is the reason, something Pidge hasn’t felt in years. She’s  _ free _ .

Pidge’s heart soaks in the emotion like a sponge as the Green Lion descends into the atmosphere of the planet. It reminds her so much of Earth in just scenery alone, with rolling hills and dense forests that she can see from beyond the isolated clouds. She doesn’t blame Green for feeling this way, just the reminder of Earth reintroduces the longing sting in her heart for home. 

The Green Lion flies towards a futuristic building - a castle, the word is supplied in her mind - sleek white with accents of blue that gleam in the sunlight. The lack of grey and purple alone makes Pidge smile and ease up on the throttle. 

“This really is home, isn’t it?” Pidge wonders aloud, guilt pricking her heart when she remembers the Red Lion to their side. “I bet you miss your friends. There’s Black and Blue and Yellow too right?”

Green has been apart from her family for far longer than Pidge has been away from hers. 

A low growl is the response as the Green Lion flies upwards to the middle of the five spires. Five spires for five Lions, it isn’t that much of a leap to realize these are their hangars. Pidge feels more and more assured that this is Green’s home, a place that seems as if it were built specifically for her.

Her seems more right as opposed to ‘it’. Green isn’t just her ship, it's her partner. A partner who reached out to Pidge specifically from a distance and made every effort to protect her. 

The bay doors open and the Red Lion zooms past them. A trickle of mirth filters from Green as she speeds up in playful competition. 

“You guys must be siblings,” Pidge teases, her heart feeling lighter. It occurs to her that this is happiness; she’d almost forgotten what that really felt like.

“I know what that’s like,” she continues. “Matt and I were really close, even though he’s a bit older. I still kicked his butt at video games... sometimes,” she finishes sheepishly. Though right now she’d give anything for him to kick  _ her  _ butt in Killbot Phantasm. 

Pidge’s reminiscing is interrupted when Green’s sensors alert her to the rapidly approaching floor. A video display of the scene appears to her left at eye level, and at the sight, PIdge’s heart nearly stops.

The Red Lion lands next to the Yellow Lion, which is seated on its hind legs next to the  _ Blue  _ Lion. 

“You’re supposed to be on Earth,” Pidge whispers, a fix of fascination and fear. “How did you get here?”

Her question goes unanswered as Green settles aside Blue, opening her maw for Pidge to exit. Each step down the ramp is done so with trepidation... someone is clearly here, possibly even from Earth. Here she is dressed in a prisoner’s uniform, still shackled with her captor’s information around her neck. 

These questions will never be answered if she doesn’t exit Green and find out.

Pidge descends the Green Lion’s ramp at the same time the maws of the Blue and Yellow Lions open. Dressed in armor that matches their Lions, Pidge sucks in a breath when she realizes that both of the boys are  _ human _ .

“Holy crow,” the boy in blue exclaims as they meet in the middle. “You’re human!” He turns to his companion. “Hunk, she’s human!”

“Maybe human,” the boy in yellow, Hunk, says. “Lance, we’re in space. She could be a shapeshifter for all we know.”

Pidge’s left eye twitches in annoyance. For the first time in two years she sees other humans and they think  _ she’s  _ the alien. “Maybe  _ you’re  _ the shapeshifters,” she shoots back. 

Guilt pricks at her heart. Maybe she deserves this after she was so eager to involve herself in the universe by helping Haxus mend his ship. Two years in space and she may as well be an alien. 

Lance’s jaw drops, his mouth flapping ridiculously. “That’s not--” Then it's as if a light bulb goes off in his brain, with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. “Quiznak, I  _ know  _ you. You’re--”

“ _ Katie _ ?” 

The voice is so familiar, bringing her all the way back to dinners both at home and at Garrison events. Pidge doesn’t dare hope. But clear as day, dressed in black and white in the same type of armor as Lance and Hunk, is Takashi Shirogane, the pilot who was supposed to fly her father and brother to Kerberos. His eyes are wide in astonishment, but it doesn’t prevent him from dropping his helmet and rushing to embrace her in a hug.

Pidge hugs him back for all she’s worth, far more desperate for human contact than she realized. Not only are there humans here, but humans she knows. The familiarity alone makes her melt into his arms. It’s the first time in two years she’s been in contact with someone who makes her feel safe. It’s not just her against Haxus and Sendak. It’s her and Green and now  _ Shiro _ .

“Shiro,” she sobs, adjusting her grip on his armor just to make extra sure he is actually here. “What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you the same question,” Shiro tells her breathlessly as he backs away, placing firm, protective hands on her shoulders as if she might disappear again. “Katie, what happened to you? We all thought you were...”

She’s about to explain, all the way back to when Haxus crash landed on Earth, but a female voice over the intercom interrupts.

“Paladins, we have a problem! The Galra are already here! Take advantage of our good fortune, you must get to your Lions and form Voltron!”

“They’re here  _ already _ ?” exclaims a fourth human boy, dressed in red armor.

“We  _ just  _ got back,” Hunk frets. “How did they find us so quick?”

Dread weighs like lead on Katie’s heart. Her mouth parts in horror as her gaze finds the cuffs still secure on her wrists. “They came after me.”

A video display not unlike the one inside the Green Lion pops up around the five of them. Sendak’s scowl fills the screen, confirming Pidge’s suspicions. “Princess Allura. I am Commander Sendak. Surrender the Lions and I will spare this planet.” He speaks professionally, but Katie has known him long enough to note the barely contained anger behind his fangs.

The video cuts off, just as Pidge has seen him do numerous times before. But this is the first time she’s been on the other end of the ultimatum. 

Lance turns to the boy in red armor. “Hey, Keith, tell your mom her old boss sucks quiznak.”

Keith glares, arms crossed. “I thought she made that pretty clear when she gave us the ‘Voltron is going to save the universe from Zarkon’ talk.” His shoulders slump, eyes narrowed in exasperation. “And I don’t think you’re using that word correctly.”

“This doesn’t solve anything,” Hunk interjects, stepping between the two. “What are we supposed to do? We only have four Lions right now, which, I guess is better than the two we had, and--”

All at once, Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue roar. The ship shudders around them and Pidge keeps upright only by taking hold of Shiro’s steady hand, body melting, at ease to hold onto someone who isn’t Haxus.

The hanger door before them rises, and from the other side steps out the Black Lion. Pidge has seen images of it, both on Haxus’ computer and in her mind’s eye, but seeing it in person inspires true reverence - not that of fear that Zarkon rules by.

It fills Pidge with respect, and also courage. 

“Now we can fight back,” she says in determination. 

~~~~~~~

“Combine!”

“Hunk, what the quiznak was that?”

“Sorry!”

“I don’t think you’re using that word correctly!”

“Shut up, Lance!”

Pidge ignores the others as Green destroys a fighter with a tail-laser, immediately catching another in her mouth and spitting it out to collide with yet another. “Sendak is going to keep sending as many as he wants! We have to destroy the ship!” And she wants to destroy it, so badly. Destroy the office, destroy the horrible food, destroy the perfume and the hairbrush and the whip.

Wipe it all away and put it behind her. 

“Whatever we’re going to do, we should do it soon!” Lance says in a panicked manner. “Sendak is charging up something!”

The ion cannon remains quiet, but Pidge gasps when she recognizes what Sendak plans to do. “It’s the tractor beam! Get out of--AH!”

Pidge inhales sharply as the sensation of her bones threatening to push up and out of her skin takes her back when she was first taken aboard Sendak’s ship. 

“It’s been an honor flying with you all,” Keith says amid the screams and despair of the others. 

But this time Pidge isn’t scared stiff. She has allies, and the Green Lion, which means there is far more firepower available to her in order to get the situation under control. Although, her options are limited…

_ Voltron is the most powerful weapon in the universe. _

Green rumbles in the back of her mind, proud. It’s time to see what Zarkon wants so badly.

“We can’t give up!” she begs the others. “If Zarkon gets Voltron, there’s nothing to stop him from enslaving the entire universe. Everyone will suffer, including Earth, if we don’t form Voltron and stop Sendak now!”

There’s a heavy silence between the comms. Pidge swallows hard, twisting and tightening her grip on the throttle. “I don’t want to go back,” she concludes with a whisper, near pleading for the others to understand - for Green and the Lions to understand and form Voltron so they can get out of this. 

“You’re not falling back into their hands, Katie, not while we’re here to stop it,” Shiro declares. The words strike a beautiful chord in her heart, to hear someone so adamant about finally keeping her out of Galra hands after hearing so many times ‘I’m sorry I can’t help you. Stay strong.’ 

“I’m nodding in agreement with Shiro!” Hunk chimes in. “Is...everyone else nodding?”

“Yes,” Keith and Lance drone in exasperation. 

“Listen, we were all chosen by the Lions,” Shiro continues. “We are a team. And teams stick together. Let’s keep our home safe! Form Voltron!”

The Lions roar with a vigor that Katie has not yet heard, shaking her bones free from the tractor beam. Her mind buzzes with various emotions, highlighted by the colors of the Lions - blue exhillarion, yellow fear, red hope, and a dark purple relief.

“I’m a leg!” Hunk yells exuberantly.

“And I’ve got a sword,” Keith says in a way that Pidge can feel the smirk on his face. 

Green brings up displays on Voltron’s specs. She has a shield to protect the team, which she swears she will both physically and with the information she’s gathered on the Galra for the last two years. But now is not the time for defence.

“And I’ve got a beam cannon,” Pidge adds. “Let’s take down that ship!”

Two or three different attack plans float across her mind like whispers. One is discarded by a wave of purple energy and the concept to attack first with the beam cannon and then fly in with the sword to cut the ship in half is accepted. The concept grows louder and more clear as each of the five members come into agreement.

Pidge pushes the throttle forward with all of the anger and sadness and pain she’s felt over the last two years. The beam cannon is four times as large as it is from just the Green Lion alone. It cuts like a hot knife through butter into the top of the ship. Pidge smiles. If she remembers right, it's right through the officer’s quarters. 

Like sliding on ice, Voltron slices through the Arusian atmosphere. Keith prepares the sword and slices open the ship hotdog length. Voltron rises to eye level with the bridge.

No final words. Pidge refuses to dwell on offering Haxus any last sentiments. 

Keith slices diagonally downwards and cuts the bridge off from the main ship. Voltron backs away and Pidge watches her prison go down in flames. 

Her grip eases off the throttle, eyes fixed on the cuffs still on her wrists. Without Haxus or Sendak alive, there’s no one to chase after her at least. 

She’s finally free.

~~~~~~

“Paladins! You did it!”

Lions at rest around the entrance of the Castle, Pidge and the others exit to greet the voice.

“I can’t believe we did it,” Keith says as he takes his helmet off, his voice more one of relief than disbelief. 

“You were right, Princess!” Lance addresses the woman who approaches. Aside from the snow white hair and pink marks under her eyes, Pidge might have thought her human.

Altean, she deduces. That’s one question answered.

“And that was only one battleship!” says a male Altean with orange hair. “Think about when you face an entire fleet!”

“Wait,” Hunk gulps. “Coran, are you serious? There will be more?”

“Of course there’s more,” Pidge pips in. “Central Command alone is a fortress a hundred times larger than this castle.”

“She’s right, of course,” Coran says matter of factly. “It won’t be easy being the defenders of the universe.”

Pride swells in Pidge’s heart. After being nothing but a housepet, to be something as important as a Paladin or a Defender of the Universe is beyond a delight. She may not be able to go back to Earth, but she can protect it.   


“Defenders of the Universe, huh?” Shiro grins. He turns up towards the Lions, towering over them like proud parents. “Has a nice ring to it.”

“It’s something only we can do,” Pidge adds. “We can protect our families this way, everyone’s families.” A light sigh escapes like a breath. “And then once they’re safe we can tell them how much we love them.”

A large hand that can only be Shiro’s rests on her shoulder. “I think you can start that today, Katie.”

Hurried footsteps race towards them, a wheezing breath that Pidge would recognize anywhere.

She turns to see her own brother step into line with Allura and Coran. He no longer wears glasses and his hair brushes his shoulders, but there is no doubt it’s him.

He stares at her as he controls his deep breaths. “Pidge,” he says with clarity and absolute affection in his voice and nothing but love shining in his eyes. “You’re alive.”

Never in her wildest dreams did Pidge think she would hear his voice again. She drops her helmet and steps forward. “Matt,” she chokes, stepping into a jog and straight into his arms. 

“I’m so sorry,” she cries while he holds her tight, and only sobs harder when he runs his fingers through her hair, grateful for something other than claws in them. “I never meant to leave! The meteor shower…”

“Isn’t important,” Matt assures her swiftly. “All I care about is that my little sister is back in my arms, and that she’s an awesome Paladin of Voltron.”

Peace washes over her that all is forgiven. Her fingers wrap into the threads of his shirt and hold on tight. “I’m never leaving you again,” she promises. “We’re getting our family back together.”


	13. Every Rose has its Thorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just because Pidge has escaped Haxus and reunited with friends and family doesn't mean that things are going to be smooth sailing from here on out.
> 
> Warnings this chapter: minor character death, canon character death, electrocution

“And here is your bayard,” Princess Allura informs her all too enthusiastically. Inside the Castle and after a large meal, Allura has introduced her to the armory. “It is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron. It will take a form to suit your specific needs.”

Pidge takes up the strangely shaped device, brows furrowed with how it might work. The armor that she now wears conforms to her exact measurements, a fact about all Altean clothing that pleases Pidge to no end; Altean designs seem about the exact opposite of restrictive Galra ones. 

It shimmers moments after it is securely in her hand. Pidge watches in fascination as it forms a glowing green blade angled closely around the boomerang shaped hilt. A weapon just for her. She grins and slices the bayard down to test it. There’s just enough weight for it to feel dangerous and light enough to make it extremely easy to weild. 

“Aw,” Lance interjects from nearby. “You got a cute little bayard.”

Pidge growls. As nice as he was in showing her around the Castle earlier, he makes up in cringe worthy comments. She points the bayard in his direction menacingly. “This weapon could be the key to defeating Zarkon and--” The blade disconnects from the base and zooms in Lance’s direction, keeping a tether that Pidge delights to see could be a grappling hook. It hits Lance’s armor rather harmlessly, but delivers an electric shock that elicits a high pitched scream from the Blue Paladin. 

For a moment Pidge can’t breath, eyes darting to the cuffs still on her wrists and the angry red lines along her veins; the former wounds on her back throbbing sharply. 

_ “I’m so sorry, Number Five,” Coran sympathizes in the medical bay. “Galra cuffs have evolved in the last ten thousand years. There’s nothing here that can get these off without slicing your hands off.” _

Her hands shake, feeling the current through her veins despite it not being there. The bayard meant for her shocks and can whip, two of the most horrible things that happened to her while in captivity.

“Yeah,” she says softly, as if removed from the scene. Her eyes find Matt in the crowd of aliens and Paladins. The curiosity in his eyes is too similar to her own and grounds her to reality. She’s not ready yet, not to tell her brother what happened to her. “Yeah,” she says quickly and louder, forcing a smirk on her face. “It is pretty cute.”

Hopefully that hides it. Having Matt here is healing enough. While in captivity, she told her story so many times, but now that she is safe and among friends, all she wants is for the bad memories to fade into nothingness. 

“Excellent!” Allura exclaims. “Pidge, you have my sincere gratitude for rescuing not only yourself but the Red and Green Lions. We would not have been able to form Voltron if not for you.”

Heat rushes to her cheeks. Happy as she is to be blushing out of embarrassment of being recognized so highly, she’s more thrilled that it’s not because she’s done something humiliating in front of Haxus. 

“It’s...no big deal,” she says, words failing her. How is she to convey that an alien died in order to give her direction to the Green Lion? That the luscious forest was reduced to dust before she even stepped foot upon it? “Green did most of the work.”

Green rumbles in disapproval. 

“Aaaaaaaand,” Allura says with a devilish grin. “It’s nice to have another girl around the same age.”

Pidge blinks. “Wait. How old ar--”

Allura takes her hands and stuffs something hard and jagged in her palms, winking, and whisper conspiratorially, “Any time you want to have a girl’s night, just contact me through these.”

Pidge opens her hands to behold a pair of earrings in the same style as the ones the Princess currently wears, though these are green in color. “Oh,” she says. “Thanks, but I never got my ears pierced.”

The squeal of delight that Allura makes is otherworldly. “No need for that barbaric practice! Let me help.” Princess Allura snatches them out of her hands and swiftly places each piece under Pidge’s lobes. “They operate by Altean energy. As long as you wear your Paladin armor or carry your bayard, they will hold on.”

The need to know anything and everything about how Altean technology works is strong, surging up all the way to the roof of her mouth...before it dies on her lips. The last time she wanted to know more about alien technology, Haxus took full advantage. Though Allura and Coran seem nice, she can’t bring herself to make too similar a request this soon after escaping. 

“That’s really cool,” she settles for, with a smile she doesn’t feel. 

“I think it’s been a really long day,” Matt says. “You all can form Voltron now and you defeated Sendak. I don’t know about you all, but I’m tired.”

Hunk helps Lance from off the floor, and Pidge is relieved that he looks unharmed other than an annoyed pout. “Yeah, I think we could all use some shut eye,” Hunk says. “Mondays are always rough.”

“Tomorrow you start training bright and early,” Allura says cheerfully, no doubt believing herself helpful. 

“Yes, you’ll have to form Voltron again and again and again,” Coran adds. 

“I think my head is spinning,” Lance moans as he leans on Hunk. Hunk offers a sheepish look before guiding his friend towards the rooms. 

A hand rests on her shoulder. “You too, Pidge,” Matt says. A pause, and she prepares herself for the interrogation. “Is everything okay? You looked kinda out of it there.”

“I’m fine,” she says quickly, refusing to look at him. But her eyes betray her, and find his gaze, full of worry and concern and love. Guilt fills her heart - she can’t lie to him again. “I’m sorry Matt, it’s all still so fresh. I can't talk about it yet.”

He nods, a genuine smile gracing his face that makes her feel at home despite still being in outer space on an alien planet in an alien ship wearing alien clothes and using alien weapons. “Okay. When you’re ready. You can talk to me, okay? I’m here for you.”

Pidge takes his hand and squeezes it. She missed this, a shoulder to lean on. “I know.”

~~~~~~~~~

Pidge feels more alive after a day of training than she has in the last two years. She calls it quits, however, when auras of yellow, blue, and purple all open the doors to her mind to see what is inside, poking gently with curiosity to see what she’s had to endure over the years. Her heart skips a beat; she isn’t ready to open up to half these people. With the same ominous click and slam she experienced when Haxus shut the door to his office, she puts up long-practiced mental barriers. No one is getting into her mind.

“I don’t want to talk about it yet!” she stands in a fury and rips the mind meld device from her head. 

“Pidge, we have to be comfortable with each other’s minds,” Keith implores of her. “None of us have stuff we want the others to see, stuff we’re not proud of, but we have to trust each other.”

Pidge eases her breath to slow and easy. “I know,” she says near in tears. “I know it's important I just…” Haxus’ claws dig into her hair. Pidge shudders the memory away. “I didn’t think it would take this much.”

Shiro stands. “Let’s take a break. Keith’s mom should be back soon with representatives from the Blade of Marmora. Hopefully by then Allura and Coran will have the Castle ready to fly.”

“And I’m chopped liver?” Matt asks from the intercom system. “Communications should be fixed up soon enough to contact their base at least.”

“I still can’t believe it's a ship,” Lance mutters. “I don’t think I could take another crazy surprise like that.”

“I’m going to take a walk,” Pidge says. “Maybe some fresh air will help.”

She hadn’t gotten any while a prisoner except for when she found Green. Maybe walking through forests is her good luck charm. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite all reason, her feet carry Pidge to the wreckage of Sendak’s ship. 

The once impenetrable fortress that raised entire planets is now reduced to rubble on one of the primitive planets that Sendak so loved to mock. Pidge clenches her fists. Good riddance. One less commander in the Galra fleet to hurt innocents, and one less lieutenant to treat her like a novelty. 

“It’s a lot bigger when you look at it like this.”

Lance stands a few feet away, marveling at the size and structure of the former battleship. He’s right, she supposes. It’s at least really weird after two years inside, to safely see the outside at this angle. 

“What do you want?” she asks tiredly. “I told you I was abducted and Haxus’ prisoner for two years, isn’t that enough?”

His face falls, looking properly ashamed. “I just wanted to apologize for looking in your head. We’re all sorry. I know if I was in your shoes I probably wouldn’t want to talk about it all right away either.”

Pidge nods, satisfied. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. “And I’m sorry for shocking you the other day,” she chuckles. “I had no idea it was going to do that.”

Lance practically beams. “Really? No hard feelings? Awesome!” he laughs nervously, rubbing a hand behind his neck. “I went through all this with Keith in flight school and here it turns out he’s super secretive just ‘cause he’s half alien. I just wanna be friends, since we’ll be teammates and all, you know?”

Though warmed by Lance’s sentiments of friendship, she is only able to ponder briefly if he might like video games as his first revelation hits her like a truck. “Wait. Keith is half alien?”

Lance looks as if he’s just been accused of murder. “Oh quiznak,” he swears. “I thought you knew?”

“No!” she squeaks. “I literally just met you all a day ago!”

“Oh boy,” Lance frets. “Allura took this bad enough, but--”

A bright light up in the sky traveling towards the earth takes Pidge back to that night in the cabin and how menacing Haxus looked that day, a stark reminder how naive she’d been. 

“Hey Keith,” Lance says nervously through the comms. “I don’t think that’s your mom’s ship.”

The object hurtles towards them with increasing speed, growing larger with every passing second, obviously headed right for the ship that she and Lance stand next to.

“-idge! Pidge! Come on!” Lance yells. He tugs at her arm, bringing her back to reality. “Run!”

She does, as fast as her short legs can carry her. The dust Lance kicks up in front of her clouds her vision. Unable to tell left from right and up from down, all she hears is, “Get down!” before she’s face first into the gritty dust and covered by a body heavier than her own. Her heart races in terror and heartache; finally she’s free and reunited with her brother, but there is no possible way she will survive being in the impact zone of the object coming their way. Worse, she’s dragged Lance out here to suffer the same fate. 

But death never comes. Sunlight is blocked and the temperature cools noticeably, which shouldn’t be happening in an impact crater. 

“Woah…” Lance says as he slowly moves off of her back.

Pidge dares to look up, and is rewarded with the sight of not just her own Lion, but the Blue Lion as well, shielding the both of them from the brunt of the impact. Tears well up in her eyes at the amount of love poured into the act. Lance hasn’t even known her that long and he was already prepared to die to keep her safe, and there is nothing but determination and concern from Green. 

Haxus had saved her life several times before, only to flaunt how helpless she is. That isn’t the case here. These are acts of genuine selflessness. 

“Thank you,” she tells Lance as she hugs him around the waist. “I owe you one.”

Lance’s mouth gapes uselessly, a touch of pink coloring his cheeks as he wraps his arms around her shoulders. “You don’t owe me anything. We’re a team, that’s what teammates do.”

“Heads up guys, that thing is moving!” comes Matt’s voice over the comms. 

Towering above even the Lions, a coffin-shaped object stands tall amid the wreckage of Sendak’s ship. It rumbles, the front splitting in half perfectly from top to bottom. 

Pidge frowns, opening her comms, “This isn’t a natural meteorite - it was made by someone!”

“The amount of quintessence is astronomical!” Allura adds. “Be extra careful!”

“Everyone get to your Lions. We have to form Voltron and protect the Castle!” Shiro orders.

After yesterday’s disastrous attempts, taking the pilot’s seat in the Green Lion is second nature now. 

_ I can trust them _ , Pidge tells herself with a deep breath.  _ They are my friends. Haxus is gone _ .

United in heart and mind, forming Voltron is like putting on a new pair of clothes. Instantly the ambient thoughts of the other Paladins fill her mind. Trepidation, nervousness, anxiousness fill the void. None of them want to fight right now, but the fight has come to them. 

The front of the coffin breaks away and falls to the ground. When the dust settles, Pidge’s heart catches in her throat, mind flashing back to her time at the arena. 

_ “You are more fierce than many of the gladiators here. If there is a prisoner who can escape, I believe it is you.” _

“No,” she says in horror. Pidge isn’t sure how and why Myzax has grown this large or why he’s here, but being opposite of him in a fight is something she never wanted. “No, no, no. We can’t fight him.”

“There’s no need to,” Shiro says calmly, authoritative. “So long as he doesn’t--”

Myzax extends his arm and the familiar and devastating electrified orb comes hurling their way. 

“Okay, he’s definitely here to fight!” Keith unhelpfully adds. 

“Lance, Hunk, max thrusters!”

Voltron just barely dodges the orb. 

“We can’t fight him!” Pidge begs. “He’ll stop if you let me talk to him!”

A yellow wave of concern shoots through the bond. “You know this guy?” Hunk shrieks. 

“Go ahead, Pidge. I’m willing to avoid a fight if we can,” Shiro agrees.

Pidge expects her hands to be shaky, but instead they are firm with resolve as she turns on her comms for the outside. “Myzax! This is Katie! I’m in the Green Lion! Please, stop! We aren’t your enemy! We can fight back against Zarkon toge--”

She screams as the orb smashes into the Black Lion from behind, giving Shiro a headache and in turn her. 

Myzax takes the orb back. His yellow eyes are unrelenting, reminding Pidge of so many dispationate stares from both Haxus and Sendak. 

“He can’t hear me,” she whispers sadly to herself. 

“We’ve got no choice then. We have to find a strategy to defeat him.”

Pidge tightens her grip on the throttle, engaging the shield for Shiro as Myzax launches the orb again. Her heart aches for a fellow prisoner she once thought of as a friend so completely locked into destruction. She isn’t sure what was done to him, but even with his thirst for battle, he had been  _ gentle _ with  _ her _ . This isn’t him at all. 

Her heart pounds with hatred for Zarkon and his loyal followers even more. “There has to be a way to change him back.”

“I don’t know how else to tell you this Pidge,” Lance says as he uses Blue to hold Voltron’s ground. “But he’s trying to kill us right now.”

Kill or be killed. Just like in the arena. A daydream flashes across Pidge’s mind, of standing in the actual arena across from Myzax as he was, horrid yellow eyes wishing nothing but death for her. 

Her shield catches the third cross of the orb. She has to protect her team, no matter what past friendship she had. The universe is depending on Voltron. “He has to recharge every third throw,” she says with a heavy heart and a sob stuck in her throat. “Close in after it returns to him.”

Lance and Hunk waste no time on the thrusters as soon as the orb returns to the pedestal, bringing them in close. Keith forms the sword. Pidge can’t look away as Myzax falls to the ground, unmoving. 

She’d promised to watch his entire fight. He deserves her witness rather than her looking away in distress. 

“I’m sorry, Pidge,” Shiro consoles her after the fact. 

Pidge takes in a shuddering breath. These people are relying on her to be a part of their team, the last thing she wants to do is let them down just like so many others did for her. “I think I’m ready to talk,” she says. “But first, can we give Myzax a burial?”


	14. Full Circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings this chapter: canon character death, electrocution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking this through to the end! If you have a chance, I'd love to hear what you liked!

Dressed with an apron over his armor, Hunk sets a plate and pouch of water in front of her, filled with a few towering creations of scintillating shapes and textures. Pidge’s mouth waters at the sight after consuming nothing but goo and flavored liquid for the last two years. 

“So... you knew Myzax?”

She lifts her eyes to Matt after he asks the question, and Hunk sits down expectantly in the seat beside him. 

Pidge gulps, sitting at the head of a long table, chairs on either side filled with the rest of the Castle occupants. Each of them are clothed in casual wear, but she is too thankful to the Paladin armor for giving her something better to wear than her prisoner uniform. Their expectant stares, however, are a bit more intimidating than she’d hoped for. The mice squeak nearby, Chuchule resting in solidarity on her shoulder. 

“Eat something first, Pidge, you need it,” Shiro encourages.

Eyeing the triangular shaped garnish on top of a mountain of multi-colored marshmallow looking foods warily, she gingerly picks it up and takes a tiny bite off an edge.

Flavor explodes in her mouth, eyes going wide as she sucks in an amazed breath. Before she knows it, the plate is nothing but crumbs and she holds an empty skewer in one hand. Without heaven in her mouth, the eyes of everyone upon her feels heavy once again. 

Rover beeps encouragingly and the nebula caterpillar floats next to it as Pidge coughs and sets the skewer aside in embarrassment, fiddling with her thumbs. Seeing the nebula caterpillar back to full health gives her strength; if it can heal, so can she. It’s time to start that process. 

She gives the drone a smile of thanks, making eye contact with the opposite end of the table, sitting up tall as she begins, “I didn’t go to Central Command often, but sometimes Haxus needed to go on Sendak’s behalf. He’d always take me to the arena. It was,” she gulps, eyes back on her hands, “it was horrible. So many prisoners die all the time. I thought at least Myzax was going to make it, but it looks like he got roped into one of the witch’s experiments.”

“Wait wait,” Hunk interjects nervously. “A witch? Like are we thinking the same kind of witch, ‘cause you’ve been in space for a long time.”

“That’s what the Galra call her,” Pidge says, unbothered by Hunk’s comment. “She looks like one and she uses magic as far as I can figure.”

Allura bites her lip. “This is troubling indeed. Many cultures across the universe have taken Altean alchemy akin to magic, though the Galra do not have such techniques.”

Lance’s jaw drops. “First the Castle’s ship and now there’s space magic?”

“I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Pidge admits hurriedly. “But I know what I saw. I think they can sense the Lions with it.” An involuntary shiver runs down her arms despite the insulated suit she wears. “Zarkon almost found out about me being the Green Paladin before I even knew what a Paladin  _ was _ .”

As if automatic, she hears Haxus’ voice in her mind correcting her,  _ Emperor  _ Zarkon.

“We believe you, Pidge,” Shiro says to her relief. “You’ve been deeper into Galra territory than any of us. Whatever you can tell us about them will be a huge help.”

Her wandering gaze settles on Matt seated to her left, giving her an encouraging smile. “Just talk about what you’re ready for. And if you’d rather it be private…” His offer goes unsaid, but Pidge appreciates it all the same. 

“It’s fine,” she says, attention back to the whole of the room. “There’s not much to say. Haxus crash landed on Earth, I helped repair his ship and he kidnapped me,” she continues, voice miraculously even, as if giving a school report. This is a debriefing, she supposes, she can keep it impersonal. “He had this code that succeeded in finding the Red Lion. I helped him look through it for two years before finding Green with it, and then I escaped. You guys know the rest.”

It didn’t even begin to explain the horrors she experienced, but the code is the most important thing.

“That is troubling indeed that the Galra have found an effective way to search for the Voltron Lions,” Allura frets.

“I don’t think we’ll have to worry about it anymore,” Pidge adds. “The program is gone along with Sendak and Haxus.”

Saying it aloud is like a weight lifted off her shoulders. 

Matt shifts uncomfortably in his seat. His eyes fixated on her face - her scar - as she squeezes on her water pouch. “What happened in between then? Your hands are…did they...torture you?”

The answer is a very strong yes, but the way his eyes keep zeroing in on her hands tell Pidge that he doesn’t mean in general. The change had been so gradual, but now against the brighter lighting of the Castle, the red lines over her hands stand out like a sore thumb. “You mean this?” she asks, pointing to the scar on her right eye. “It could have been a lot worse,” she answers honestly, thinking about all of the prisoners Haxus would bring on the ship for interrogation.  _ That  _ was torture, not enduring a little shock for obediance training. “They definitely hurt, of course, and it was sometimes hard to browse on a tablet, but I got used to it,” she shrugs. “He’d always remind me I belonged to him, and spook me on purpose, and pet my head a lot. Sendak whipped me  _ once _ , but I got used to the shocks after a while.”

Those are the facts. It’s easier to tell the facts rather than get too deep into how helpless and scared she felt the whole time, how cold and lonely it was.

The room is silent, with the jaws of near everyone lowered. Coran gives her a far more sympathetic look. 

“There is more to torture than interrogations,” he says sadly. “Some abuse for the sake of abusing.”

“You were really brave, Pidge,” Matt says. His eyes hold unshed tears and his hands clench into tight fists of controlled rage. “to escape on your own without any help.”

Not entirely by herself. If not for Nelas, she might never have heard the Red Lion - her first major clue that something was different about the Voltron Lions. And Ulaz, who told her to keep quiet about it. Also Sloth, who she never knew the name of, using his last breath to point her in the right direction. 

And the Lions themselves, trying to prod her in the right direction.

“I wasn’t totally alone, I had a lot of help,” she says. “Some Galra even helped me out. They’re not all bad.”

Allura bites her lip. Keith visibly loosens up. Pidge hadn’t even realized he’d been so tense. 

A series of beeps comes from a rectangular device on the table in between Allura and Keith. It blinks blue a few times as the two give each other an expectant look. 

“She’s back awfully soon,” Allura worries. 

Keith brings the device near his face and clicks a button with his thumb, which causes it to cease blinking and beeping. “Maybe the Blade of Marmora was kinda close?”

“If you’ll allow, Princess,” Coran says gently. “I’ll grant her access?”

Keith stands stiffly. “I’ll go meet her.”

“I will come with,” Allura says quickly, hem of her dress right on Keith’s heels. The two of them speed off while the other Paladins and Matt exchange uneasy looks. The tension in the room feels so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

“Am I...missing something?” Pidge ponders.

Lance chuckles nervously, pressing his index fingers together. “So, remember when I said Keith was part alien? Allura’s still a bit mad with  _ all  _ Galra.”

Pidge frowns, the information shaking her brain like a blender. “ _ Keith _ is half  _ Galra _ ?” she practically squeaks. If Keith is part Galra, then that meant that Haxus  _ wasn’t  _ the first. Haxus had certainly thought himself the first, which meant there was no record in the Empire of Earth before Haxus, which in turn meant one had purposefully not been created. 

Someone wanted to keep Earth a secret, and the only reason Pidge can think of that warranted that, is that they found the Blue Lion. And apparently had a family. 

There is dissent in Zarkon’s ranks after all. 

“I know, he doesn’t look alien at all,” Hunk says. “But trust me, they’re definitely related.”

“Princess Allura has had a difficult time accepting that not all Galra are working for Zarkon,” Coran explains. “But she and Keith are getting along much more splendidly than when you all first arrived!”

“Yeah, they’re not at each other’s throats,” Lance remarks.

“More like Allura had Keith pinned to the floor,” Hunk adds.

“And you let them go to the hangar together alone to meet Keith’s Galra mom?” Pidge asks exasperatedly. 

Chairs fly back in a flurry and the room is emptied without a word. 

~~~~~~

Pidge hasn’t had a reason to run fast since her first ill-fated escape attempts, so she huffs and wheezes, legs mush when she brings up the rear. Rover beeps delightfully and Pidge latches onto the drone to keep herself upright. The eased posture of her fellow Paladins in turn put her at rest. It means there is no situation that needs defusing. 

Keith stands attentive, smiling softly. Allura is far enough away that Pidge can’t hear, but an apology is clear with the guilt on her face. Her Altean hands are entwined with Galra ones.

“I’m only sorry I couldn’t find the Green Paladin,” says the voice that Pidge recognizes. 

_ I do what I do to keep my family safe.  _

“Krolia?” Pidge asks, astonished.

It’s likely everyone turns towards her, about to ask how they know each other, but Pidge only has eyes for Krolia’s wide eyes. 

“Katie,” she breathes, surprise at first, then relief melting onto her features. “You made it.”

Pidge’s body becomes at odds with herself. There’s a part of her that wants very much to hug Krolia right now in thanks for her support and, as she looks back on it, protecting her from the burden and fear of being a Paladin in captivity. Yet another part of her swells with anger that Krolia withheld so much information from her, regardless that it may not have been safe for Pidge to hold it. 

“You knew the whole time I was a Paladin?” Pidge presses, trying not to sound hurt. “You’d been to  _ Earth _ ?”

A sympathetic look grows on Krolia’s features. “The Red Lion wouldn’t have protected just anyone. I don’t think I have to tell you what would have happened if Haxus knew.”

“Well,” Allura laughs a bit nervously. “It seems we are all acquainted.”

Anger boils to the surface, hands clenched into fists. She hates so much that such an important detail was purposefully kept from her, leaving her unable to use that knowledge as a means to escape, instead remaining in the dark and without hope. But Pidge forces herself to temper that rage with reason. Krolia is right; if Haxus, or worse Sendak, found out, a fate much worse might have awaited her at the impenetrable fortress of Central Command. 

“After meeting Katie,” Krolia continues, “I went back to Earth to make sure the Blue Lion was secure. It reunited me with my son,” she places a hand on Keith’s shoulder, who smiles peacefully. “I know it may not seem like it now, but your abduction set into motion the formation of Voltron. You are the only hope the universe has to stop Zarkon.”

Pidge takes a deep breath. “I know.” At her shaky voice, what can only be Matt’s hand reaches to her shoulder, grounding her. “Thank you. I know you did all you could.”

Krolia nods and smiles in response. 

“Do you have word from the Blade of Marmora?” Shiro speaks up.

Instantly Krolia slips back into professionalism. “I have coordinates for our contact. Once the ship has left the atmosphere I can input them; being grounded invites too many intruders.”

As if on cue, the Castle alarms ring loud and clear nearby.

~~~~~

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Matt asks. 

The two of them stroll the outskirts of the Castle in the late evening, Rover happily puttering nearby. The little drone hasn’t forgotten its guard programming, and refuses to leave Pidge alone. Inside and along the walkway, Arusians go in and out of the Castle freely in celebration of the first of the new Voltron Alliance. The nebula caterpillar is inside, soaking in the joyful emotions of the party.

“I’m okay now that we’re away from the crowds,” she exhales in relief. Crowds only make her think of the arena these days, crammed between Haxus and the wall, feeling as if she can’t breathe…

“I mean the other thing.”

“We can form Voltron without being in peril now,” Pidge says casually, hiding the fact that her insides feel like mush stuck on an old frying pan. While speaking of her experiences was liberating, it also makes her feel vulnerable. “What isn’t there to be fine about?”

Matt shrugs, nearly rolls his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know, seeing people you knew…” he pauses, as if searching for the right word. Pidge can tell he doesn’t want to be direct in fear of dredging up bad memories. “People you knew while you were in space,” Matt settles on.

“You mean while I was in captivity?” Pidge says frankly. To be fair to Matt, the word  _ does  _ give her the butterflies. They churn in her stomach as she struggles between the reality of what happened to her, and how distant such a fate was to her while she still lived on Earth. What were the odds, really, of being actually abducted by aliens?

Matt sighs, defeated. “Yeah. We were all really scared, Pidge. No one could figure out what happened to you, and to know what you went through while me, Mom, and Dad couldn’t do  _ anything  _ really hurts.”

“There really wasn’t anything you could have done,” Pidge says, heart cut up over seeing her brother like this. She focuses on a fern in a nearby grove, trying to calm her troubled memories from extracting the bitterness she’s felt. “It was my own fault that I trusted Haxus in the first place and never told you all he was even there.” Her mouth twitches into a half smile as she turns towards him. “I missed you all every day.”

Without preamble, Matt scoops her into his arms. Caught off guard, her heart races thinking of all the times Haxus pulled her around without warning. But this is Matt, and as she forces the memories into the back of her mind, she slowly returns the embrace, nestling her face into his chest. 

“I’m so proud of you,” he says into her ear with a hitch in his voice. “And I know Mom and Dad will be too.” He lets loose a bitter chuckle. “A Paladin of Voltron doesn’t really need a big brother to look after her.”

Pidge tightens her grip around his waist, inhaling deeply. “I’ll always want my big brother by my side, now more than ever,” she counters. 

Her chest is warm snuggled against Matt’s sweater, his arms soft against her despite being secure under her Paladin armor. Mind at ease with her head resting against his chest and his strong arms around her that remind her so much of their father’s embrace, it comes as a shock when a tingling sensation runs from the base of her spine and up through her arms. 

It feels as if there’s someone watching them.

Pidge holds Matt tighter. With all the Arusians coming and going, surely it's coming from them. 

“I’m just glad that I can fight back now,” she says as if saying it aloud will give her the relief from the ominous chill behind her. 

Matt chuckles. “Then I’m staying with you as long as I can. It’s going to take something ridiculous to tear us apart again.” Against what Pidge really wants, she lets him back away, a bright smile on his face. “Let’s ditch the rest of the party and get back to work on that shuttle. I want to be able to play some Earth music while we’re fighting the bad guys.”

Pidge laughs as she turns towards the Castle. “Sure, I’ll make it up to you for missing the meteor shower with you.”

“Coran says there may be one tonight,” he says wistfully, reminiscing on a fond memory reflecting in his eyes. “I bet we can catch most of it as long as we keep the bay door open.”

Thrill and pure joy jolt around her heart like electrons at the prospect of really spending time with her brother, doing what they should have two years ago, instead of inadvertently helping her kidnapper. “Yeah, I’d really like that,” she says through the incoming sob in her throat.

Matt takes her under his wing and Pidge latches an arm around his back as they walk side by side back to the Castle. The physical contact with someone she loves and trusts is like a drug, and Pidge hardly cares that she wants more of it. She has two years worth of hugs to catch up on. 

Uproarious laughter diverts her attention from their destination of the stairway. Pidge spits out a laugh seeing Hunk wearing horderves for glasses and Keith busting a gut over it. Krolia looks on with a glass in hand, exasperation written all over her face. The Arusians in the area around them can’t seem to stop laughing.

“You guys are in good spirits,” Matt comments as they approach. 

The puff balls attached to sticks fall out of Hunk’s eyes, replaced with tears of mirth. “Oh man, whatever you do, don’t drink the nunvil.”

Keith sticks out his tongue as if ill, clutching his stomach. “Uh, I think some made it to my stomach.”

“Come on, let’s find some water to get that out of you,” Krolia sighs with a hint of mirth as she places a hand on Keith’s back and leads him away. “It’ll eat your insides out if you’re not careful.”

“Ew, gross,” Pidge groans, nose scrunching up in disgust. Across the room, Allura and Shiro are held captive by the leader of the nearby Arusian village. His arms are outstretched and his body moves as if telling a grand tale. The only one not around is... “Where’s Lance?”

Hunk pops a snack into his mouth and swallows. “I saw him go upstairs earlier. Coran went after him.” He frowns, eyes downcast. “He’s...probably homesick. Just like the rest of us. We didn’t exactly plan to ride the Blue Lion through a wormhole on Monday morning.”

Pidge’s heart pulses with sympathy. “Yeah,” she agrees. “I get that.”

Perhaps even that is too good to be true. As if the universe toys with her, the second story doors burst open at a giant boom from somewhere within the Castle. 

~~~~~~

Lance is hurt. Badly.

Pidge lets the world fall down around her as Coran explains how much they need the healing pod for the near motionless boy in his arms. She only half listens as she watches Lance’s once expressive face groan with pain, breath shallow and weak. 

“Princess Allura!” The leader of the Arusian village cries as he rushes onto the bridge. “Our village is in flames! Please help us!”

“With the Lions stuck in their hangars we can barely help ourselves,” she stresses, real fear reflecting in her eyes. 

“We formed an alliance, will you not help us?” The Arusian begs.

Pidge moves forward slowly, sparks in her brain slowly bringing her mind to life after the shock of seeing Lance in the state he is. The blast was clearly large enough to take out the large crystal that powered the entire Castle. Nothing in Arusian possession is big enough. 

“I’ll go stop them,” Keith volunteers, bayard snapping at the ready. 

“I’ll need Hunk’s assistance with getting a new crystal from the Balmera,” Coran chips in. 

“You can use the shuttle Pidge and I were working on, we left the bay doors open,” Matt adds hurriedly. “Come on!”

Rover beeps sadly beside her as Pidge moves closer to the shattered pieces of the crystal. 

“I’ll assist Keith,” Allura decides, hurriedly scooping her hair into a messy bun.

“A good idea,” Krolia says reaching for her handgun. “You’ll need backup.”

Shiro takes Lance gently from Coran, placing his head in his lap. “I’ll stay with Lance, just in case any of our enemies decide to leave the village and head here.”

Amid the wreckage, Pidge kneels and lifts a familiar piece of metal. It feels, and looks, like Rover. But...Pidge looks up to see Rover’s green markings flash with concern...Rover is still whole. 

Which means another drone did this. Someone programmed it to do this on purpose. The realization takes Pidge’s heart and wraps a chain tightly around it. For two years she lived captive on a ship with only two other living beings, both of whom have the motive, means, and disregard for the lives of others to pull this off. 

It means Haxus or Sendak or both were still alive and plotting to take the Castle and the Lions. 

She feels as stupid as the day she realized Haxus was up to no good. Surrounded by family and friends, she thought she was safe. 

“We can’t stay here,” Pidge says as her grip tightens on the former drone. 

“What do you mean?” Shiro asks in concern. “We shouldn’t move Lance any more than possible.”

“Sendak or Haxus might be still alive,” Pidge says sharply as she stands and turns to Shiro. The room is emptied but for the two of them and the unconscious Lance. “They’ll be coming here next.”

Shiro eyes narrow. “We can’t let them inside the Castle. There are only two entrances. I’ll take the main one, you tell Matt what is going on and cover the side entrance.”

Pidge bites her lip, eyes drifting to Lance, who moans but does nothing to shift into a more comfortable position. “What about Lance?”

“I’ll have to take him with me,” Shiro says with resignation. Clearly it's the last thing he wants to do. “I can carry him and someone needs to look after his vitals. Don’t worry,” he says with an encouraging grin. “We’ll be okay.”

Pidge wants to believe him, she really does. Everything that can possibly go wrong is on the tip of her tongue. Shiro has no weapon, the black bayard lost with its Paladin, with  _ Zarkon _ . Lance could die if he’s moved, Matt could already be on the run from them…

She nods. Time is wasting the more she hesitates. “Okay.”

~~~~~~

“Hurry, Matt, we’re almost there!”

Lungs already on fire, Pidge forces herself forward. Every moment they aren’t with Shiro and Lance is more time for Sendak or Haxus to do their worst. Even with his longer strides, Matt nips at her heels. 

She bursts through the threshold, searching the corridor for her team. “He said they’d be okay…” she says mostly to herself. “Shiro,” she calls through the comms. “Where are you?”

Static. 

“Shiro?”

Without warning, her helmet is ripped from her head, Matt tossing it away from the railing. He drops them both to the floor, and before Pidge can ask why, she sees. Through the railing, down in the main corridor, Sendak drags an unconscious Shiro towards the lifts, his eyes darting to where her helmet hits the ground, barking orders to find her. Lance is still alive, even from up here she can tell his face twitches in pain, but he’s carried by her worst nightmare.

Haxus  _ is  _ still alive.

All the joy and peace Pidge has built up until now deflates out of her, leaving a wound up ball of nerves in her gut. There's a hitch in her breath and all rational thought leaves her mind. It feels as if she's back to the beginning, with every escape attempt failing spectacularly.

A weighted hand falls upon her shoulders. Matt's calming rubs remind her that she is no longer alone in her struggles. It isn't just her having to cater around Haxus, doing all she can to remain healthy in the hopes that she could run off one day. That moment is now, with her brother beside her and a team at her back.

No more holding back.

"We'll get them back, Pidge," Matt promises.

Pidge nods. "I know," she says, trying to make her voice sound as resolute as she can. She is encouraged by Matt's company. "Let's hide and contact the others."

But she also can't ignore the dread in her gut.

~~~~~

The light of the earrings gifted to her by Allura flash mutely in Pidge's peripheral vision as she crawls into a vent. Beneath her feet the Castle rumbles, eager to be free of the earth that’s formed around it over the last ten thousand years. "Hold tight, Allura,”  _ huff, huff _ , “we're almost to the engine room.”

“Left, then the door is on our left,” Matt calls with urgency as he enters behind her.

Pidge grabs hold of Rover as the drone makes a sharp left turn, letting the robot carrying her to the large door on her right with far greater speed than she could crawling. Matt’s comforting presence suddenly feels too far away for her liking. Turning, she needs to see him. Needs to make sure he’s there and safe and…

His dorky face emerges upside down from the vent exit. “Don’t wait for me, Pidge, hurry!”

Kicking herself for pausing, Pidge runs for the door, which opens upwards at her presence. She’s nearly there, all that needs to be done is stop the engine. Sendak and Haxus will still be an issue but at least the Castle will be grounded and there will still be hope and--

Pidge freezes to the spot, a sharp inhale as she beholds the simple-looking teal sphere of the engine, burning almost organically, like a sun… and the narrow catwalk to get to it. 

As well as the very long fall if she should lose her footing, just like the engine room on Sendak’s ship. The moment she surrendered her freedom plays out before her like a stage production, backed up against the rails with no weapon and no help.

She shakes her head furiously to remove the image. If she doesn’t stop takeoff, then the scene will repeat itself with the same result. This time it isn’t just her freedom on the line, it's the lives of Lance, Shiro, and Matt at stake. 

The gravity of the situation gives her legs another gear. The Castle loosens from the ground more with each stride she takes, increasing the sense of urgency. Once in space she’ll be trapped. Again. And this time there is nothing to hide the fact that she is a Paladin of Voltron. 

There are worse fates than being Haxus’ slave.

Ripping open the panel, Pidge is faced with symbols she doesn’t recognize. She growls, hating once again that she’s faced with a new language that she wishes to know right now. “Allura,” she calls through the earrings. “What’s the code to stop the engine!”

“”Lumis, Tetra, Bonx!”

The engine increases in size and rotates with greater speed. “What do they look like! I can’t read Altean!” Pidge yells with increasing panic. All that time learning Galra and when she really needs to know an alien language, its the wrong one.

_ Static _ . “Two--”  _ Static _ . “Round bars and T--”  _ Static _ . “Double lo--”  _ Static _ .

“Allura? Allura!”

Takeoff is imminent, and so is the loss of freedom so soon after gaining it again. 

Pidge snarls. “I’m not going back and you’re not taking anyone else!” She pulls her arm back and then slams the bayard into the engine controls with all her might. Arcs of electricity dance around the station as Pidge jumps backwards to avoid getting shocked. 

The rumbling around the Castle stops, and it feels as if her brain flies to the top of her head and then back down as the ship settles back onto Arus soil. The core of the engine diminishes into a glowing green ball smaller than the console itself. 

Pidge allows herself a goofy smile as she leans back onto her hands, closing her eyes and slumping in relief. “We did it, Matt,” she says. The Castle won’t be able to leave for Central Command now, which gives them precious time to lower the particle barrier and save Shiro and Lance. 

A shiver runs down her spine a split second before Rover beeps an alert. Pidge’s throat goes dry as armored boots clunk slowly and  _ purposefully  _ down the metal walkway. She knows who it is, but before the fear in her heart truly takes over, it is quickly zapped out and forgotten in favor of the electric current. Not from the console that she tried so hard to avoid, but from her cuffs. 

She screams, flopping onto her side and curling in on herself as it pricks at her nerves like a thousand, splintered tree limbs smoldering from a fire. As it subsides moments later, the tears in her eyes linger, not because of the pain, but because Haxus has found her. 

“Did you really think it was over,  _ Paladin _ ?” he sneers. It stings more than it should, to hear him call her that. Though it should be an improvement over ‘girl’ or ‘child’, the way he says it with such venom makes it so much worse. There is no more suspicion and fear over what he might know, he knows  _ now _ without a shadow of a doubt and is here to face her as a soldier of the Galra Empire; not simply her captor. 

“I hope you enjoyed your brief moment of freedom,” he continues, angrier than she’s ever heard him, “because I will never let you out of my sight again. Assuming that Emperor Zarkon does not provide a different fate for you.”

All of her worst fears come to reality. 

But Pidge is no longer the helpless little girl Haxus met on Earth. Fingers slowly curl tight around her bayard as she struggles to stand, arm muscles straining for strength to lift her weighty body. She waited patiently for an opportunity to escape, and it has been granted to her by the Green Lion and her newfound team. For two years she told herself that she will give Haxus his due. The bayard ignites its deadly green glow. Now she has the tool to do so. 

“Surrender now; you only delay your fate.”

“My fate is my own!” she yells. Green’s roar provides the burst of energy for Pidge to stand to her knees and launch the electrified bayard towards Haxus before he can shock her again. 

Haxus is unperturbed, the same expression of control he had the day the rebels couldn’t save her. The shock never reaches him, instead Matt falls to the ground before him, trembling, electricity still arcing over his body. 

Pidge drops her bayard and it disintegrates into her armor with a flash of green. “Matt!” she screams. Never mind the battle, her brother is hurt and--

She stops short of stepping forward as Haxus places the tip of his sword near Matt’s twitching head. “It would be a shame for you to have to say goodbye after waiting so long to see him again.”

Pidge gasps. 

“Oh yes, I can see the family resemblance. You’ve talked about him enough he may as well have been there,” Haxus deadpans, then grins wickedly, “wouldn’t that be nice to have your brother work alongside you.”

Pidge takes in shuddering breaths. “Let him go,” she tries to demand, though it comes out so much like the begging tone she’s had to become accustomed to. “Do what you want with me,” the words to surrender come more easily than she’d have liked, but with Matt’s life on the line she hardly cares. She hurt him herself, just as easily as she hurt Lance. A traitorous thought enters her mind - if she can’t control her bayard, how can she hope to defeat Haxus, let alone Zarkon? “Please don’t kill him.”

Cruel lips curl into a satisfied smile, stepping over Matt’s unconscious body and towards her. It’s just like before, cornered in an engine room after a poor escape attempt. Pidge takes a step back, the scenery blending from the bright teal of the Altean castle to her memory of the purple and magenta of Sendak’s battlecruiser. 

“ _ There’s _ the frightened, naive little girl I remember,” Haxus commends - purrs, as his long strides close the gap between them. “See, obedience is easy for you. Cease with these senseless ideas of rebellion,” he chuckles, “you simply don’t have it in you.”

Pidge backs up into the engine controls, hands flat against the broken console. His words light a fire in her soul, striking  _ wrong _ . If Matt had been the one kidnapped, she’d have come up to space to get him just as he did for her. She knows that better than any of the flight manuals she once snuck into her room to pour over and dream of piloting her family to space. 

Pidge - Katie -  _ does _ have it in her to fight back. She’d tried and tried so hard those first few months and it’s to Haxus’ detriment that he doesn’t acknowledge that. 

“You are terrified,” Haxus crows, close enough to reach out and touch. “Just a child from a useless planet.” He extends his hand towards her head. Pidge shrinks instinctively, anticipating the pat on the head. “Your purpose, like the rest of your pathetic people, is to serve the Galra Empire.”

His palm touches the top of her ponytail. “Just like you have served me so well already.”

Pidge sees white, a terrible chill rolling down her spine at the physical contact. She hisses with the fire in her soul, thoughts only focused on the grossness at the touch. With surprising strength, her arms move on her own and push Haxus back a few steps. “Don’t touch me!” she yells. 

Haxus narrows his eyes and opens the panel on his wrist. It’s been a while, but Katie remembers the awful, inescapable force of the cuffs binding together as it zings into existence. With a sharp inhale, she holds still, careful not to aggravate the cuffs and tighten the cord to make her even more helpless. 

“There is no escape,” Haxus says plainly and holds out his hand. “Come, let’s go join the commander on the bridge and take your dear brother with us.”

She hesitates. The weight of not wanting any of this is heavy on her heart and stalls her actions. It should be so easy to put one foot in front of the other; her’s remain rooted to the ground. The Green Lion purrs inside her head, encouragement to be by her side, no one else’s, no matter what choice she makes. 

It is a moment too long. “I do not have time for your childish antics,” Haxus snarls with impatience. “I hope your brother is more manageable.”

He reaches out for her arm, just as he has so many times before to drag her along more quickly when she’s paralyzed over the knowledge of her next task. 

She can’t put Matt through that. Whatever Zarkon wants with the Paladins, Matt isn’t one of them. Haxus will be free to do whatever he wants with him.

The Green Lion has afforded her the opportunity she waited two years for. Now it is her turn to pull the weight for her own escape.

“I’m not a child!” she declares, pulling her arm back, and Haxus lets her with surprise on his face. “I’m a Paladin of Voltron!”

Surprised, at first, Haxus’ lips slowly curl into a bemused smile. “Very well then. Show a vetern soldier of the Galra Empire how a slave learned to be a Paladin of Voltron.”

Pidge’s bayard materializes into her hand, fitting perfectly into her already curled fingers, more proof that it is her’s, as Green continues to say in a litany of affirmations. She grips it tight, resolving to never let go of it or her freedom. Haxus stands between her and the door, as well as her brother. To get to them, she has to attack and have a better outcome than she did that night in the shuttle. 

As Haxus takes a step forward, so does she, the movement easier with the power of agency and positive adrenaline pushing her. Pidge sets her shoulders square and braces for the impact of Galra steel against whatever material this bayard is made of. 

Their weapons clash with an awful clang. Haxus grins smugly as she shifts both arms to hold her bayard against his sword - which he holds with only one hand. He means to overpower her, the same method Sendak used against him when they spar. Only Haxus is the larger body right now.

“You’ll have to do better than that,  _ Paladin _ ,” he mocks.

With her wrists cuffed together, there isn’t much she can do. There’s no way she can beat him in strength, but, Pidge thinks as she grins in kind, she’s more clever. 

“You’re right,” she says coyly, “I should do better,” and activates her bayard’s shock mechanism. 

Haxus screams, dropping his sword and arching back as electricity flows through and around his body. Pidge doesn’t take the time to enjoy the satisfaction, racing around him and sliding to her knees towards Matt.

“Matt, Matt,” she whispers desperately as she shakes him. “You have to get up, hurry, please!” If he doesn't get up, he'll become Haxus' slave just as she was. She refuses to leave him to that fate.

Pidge yelps as the ground suddenly slips by, dragging her from Matt. Her head flips like a whip as she slams back into the console. Electricity courses through her veins and she screams as her nerves cry out the same.

Breathless, Pidge falls to her hands and knees, then to her elbows as her shaky arms give out.

Familiar and hated hands wrap around her neck and drive the back of her head into the broken console. Despite Haxus' breath in her face, Pidge finds the courage to open her eyes and narrow them in defiance, even as his sword lifts her chin and presses against her throat.

"I have enjoyed your little defiant games, but I am quite done with them now," he seethes. Pidge has destroyed his ship and become exactly what he wanted her help hunting down. "Do not resist me further or your brother will regret it." Her breath hitches as he uses the tip of his sword to drag the chain of her necklace up from underneath her Paladin armor.

Haxus smiles at her hint of fear. "You kept it," he purrs, removing his hand from her throat and patting the side of her head. "How sweet, you can’t deny this is how it should be."

No.

No, it shouldn't be.

"Get off me!" The green bayard is in her hands before she even realizes it, rage and fear and sorrow for missed childhood years all go into a purposeful strike right to Haxus' chest.

Just as it had before, electricity surges over him. As Pidge steps back, the tip of his sword cuts the chain from her neck and Haxus stumbles backwards in pain. His sword clanks to the floor alongside the necklace, and both slide over the edge of the catwalk.

Down into the very long fall into the depths of the engine.

Pidge gasps as a hand goes immediately to her collar bone, where the pendant once lay. It's as if she breathes in fresh air and a weight is lifted off her shoulders. His name is no longer on her.

For a half moment she wonders, if his sword can so easily remove the chain...the green bayard pulses with energy - her own quintessence - and the Green Lion gives a purr of approval. Coran didn’t have anything that could cut it but…

Pidge brings the blade down on the cuffs. As if with a hot knife to butter, they slice open and off. 

She's free. There is nothing Pidge wears that once belonged to Haxus, just the uniform of a Paladin of Voltron. Confidence and pride surges through her body.

"Wretched brat!" Haxus yells. "After all I did for you, this is how you repay me?"

"You didn't do anything for me!" Pidge declares back in kind. "You stole me from my family and made me your slave!” She reaches down to collect the broken cuffs. With all of her strength, she tosses them over the edge where she’ll never see them again. “I'm going to take you down and Zarkon is next!"

Haxus howls and comes after her with claws outstretched. Pidge fires her grappling hook, wrapping around his ankles and pulls. It trips him up as she lunges towards Matt.

Pidge screams as her ponytail is yanked backwards, brain erupting into shooting pain. All she can comprehend is that Haxus has her. But she has a weapon now, and with all she has, she slices for his hand.

Haxus shrieks. Pidge only has a half moment to be satisfied with that as she continues to fall backwards. The world seems to slow as she looks to her side, finding herself becoming parallel to the catwalk.

And Haxus.

His face is full of surprise, but also something she's never seen from him: fear.

Pidge doesn't care. She supposes she should be afraid too as the railings get further away, but she merely refuses to look his way. If she's to die, then she won't let Haxus be the last thing she sees.

It's the first time in two years she's been at peace, knowing Haxus won't hurt anyone anymore.

The Green Lion roars, not just in her mind. Pidge gasps.

She isn't finished yet. She has to fulfill that promise to take out Zarkon too.

Sharp edges and a determined beep slam into her back, giving Pidge the momentum to fall face first back onto the catwalk. Pidge collapses onto solid ground and immediately sits up to look over the edge; she has to know. 

Sure enough, the unmistakable outline of Haxus becomes nothing more than a dot as he falls to his death.

Pidge falls back onto her side, closing her eyes. A wave of relief and peace washes over her, and a sob invades her throat.

The nightmare is truly over. 

Rover descends, green lines on its body fade in and out with cautious worry. Pidge can’t help but chuckle as she reaches out and snags the little drone into a celebratory hug, crying happy tears even as the robot squeals in alarm. Even so, it doesn’t make an attempt to escape, instead powering down slightly in resignation.

“You really were programmed to protect me, weren’t you?” Pidge hiccups, heart warmed that at least something good came out of the last two years.

A groan lifts her spirits, smiling hard as she lets Rover free and crawls over to a newly conscious Matt. His eyelids flutter, but once they open, they find her are filled with love and utter relief. “Pidge, you’re okay.”

“You too,” she sobs. “We’re both okay. Haxus is dead,” Katie can hardly believe she can actually say the words and it's not just in her dreams, “he can’t hurt us anymore.”

Matt sits up on his knees and collects her into a tight hug. Pidge only sobs harder as she holds him back. In the two years she was gone, Matt’s hugs have grown firmer and so much more like their father’s. “I’m so proud of you and I know Mom and Dad are too. We missed you so much.”

“I missed you all too. Every day,” Pidge follows up quickly, earnestly. “I was so scared that Haxus and Sendak would come for Earth.”

Matt squeezes. “Whatever you did to steer them away, it worked. You saved us all.”

Pidge reluctantly lets him pull away, though she takes in the kindness of his smile for all its worth and is worried as his mouth curls into a curious frown. “Your hair…”

Just as quickly as she needed proof of Haxus’ death, her hand zips to the back of her head. Searching with her fingers, nowhere can she find her preferred ponytail. The back of her neck is strange without any hairs nipping at the back. 

A sharp laugh escapes her lips. With Haxus’ claws ensnared in her hair tie, it’s likely entombed with his body at the bottom of the engine room. So be it. “Everything’s gone,” she whispers to herself. Every article of clothing that had been with her on that ship is gone, disposed of or destroyed. 

And that is freeing in itself. There is nothing holding her back now. She has a fresh start as a Paladin of Voltron, with all the power to make sure what happened to her will never happen to anyone else ever again. 

“It suits you,” Matt quips. “You could almost pass as me.”

Pidge grins as she lightly punches his arm. “Why would I want to be you?”

Matt shrugs, and jokes, “I don’t know, infiltrate the Garrison?”

Laughter erupts and Pidge’s heart is lighter than it's been in a long time. 

~~~~~~~

“I dunno, guys, maybe we should have waited a bit longer.”

The shuttle is tiny and cramped with five Paladins, two Alteans, and Krolia all stuffed into it. Rover and the nebula caterpillar float above them all, calm and content.

Keith gives Lance an elbow nudge. “Nervous about missing class? That doesn’t sound like you,” he teases. 

Hunk taps his foot nervously on the floor. “Yeah, that sounds more like me. Which I am. I am nervous. I mean, we didn’t give any notice we’d be gone or anything and now we’re showing up all ‘oh hey we found an alien robot and oh by the way there’s an evil alien emperor trying to enslave the universe so join our alliance please’.”

“Yeah, and they’re really going to listen to a bunch of cadets,” Lance drones. “I don’t care how much schmoozing Matt was able to do.”

It’s Shiro’s turn to laugh. “Let me talk to Sanda,” he assures them. “The rest of you focus on seeing your families.”

Keith frowns. “You going to be okay? You don’t exactly look…”

Entirely human, Pidge finishes in her mind, and she’s sure that’s what everyone else is thinking as they avert their gazes. It’s not like Shiro suddenly has a robot arm, but the purple markings just below his eyes make him fit more with Allura and Coran rather than the Earth generals he’s about to meet with. 

Accepting a small portion of Altean genetics is a small price to pay for curing his disease. 

Shiro shrugs it off with a smile, as he’s prone to do. “It’s like a nifty tattoo.”

“It only marginally helps your round ear problem,” Allura pouts, scrunched next to Pidge and leaning on Hunk, half asleep. She really should be in bed resting from healing the Balmerra, but as Princess she insisted to meet with the leaders of the planet that provided her the Paladins of Voltron.

“Attention Princess and Paladins!” Coran announces over the speaker from the front where he and Krolia fly the shuttle. “We’ve got clearance to land, so it’ll be just two shakes of a yalmors nose!”

Pidge smiles, twiddling her thumbs with nervous energy. “I’m finally home,” she whispers. 

In a matter of minutes she’ll see her parents for the first time in two years. She’ll get to hug them and apologize to them for being so stupid and… for the fact that she can’t stay.

Freeing Shay’s people and fighting the robeast had been an awakening for all of them. Zarkon will not stop hunting Voltron, so they must take the fight to him. That means securing alliances with other rebels that Pidge knows are out there.

Krolia has made contact with Ulaz, who both, to no surprise of Pidge, are part of a rebellious Galra faction, as she suspected there might be already. He in turn promised to speak with their leadership and rally their information network and reach out to other scattered rebel factions.

Matt went ahead to Earth in hopes to prepare them for aliens to come. Having completed Voltron’s first rescue mission (after nearly losing the Blue Lion to space pirates), it is time to see if his efforts succeeded. 

Coran lands the shuttle gently, with the expertise of a seasoned pilot. The bay door opens and allow Shiro out first with Lance and Hunk at his heels already squealing and waving in delight to their own families. They race past the Black Paladin, who simply laughs. 

Shiro holds out his hand. “Princess,” he offers. 

Allura brightens at the gesture, adding needed vitality to her presence. “Thank you, Shiro,” she expresses in relief, taking his hand and the two walk down the ramp together as the leaders of Voltron. 

Pidge’s heart beats hard against her chest as she stands. Not that long ago she thought she’d never see a friendly face again, much less return to Earth. So many nights she dreamed of waking in her own home, of holding her family close, it doesn’t seem real. 

To steady her hand, Pidge grips the side of the bay door. Hunk and Lance give hugs and kisses to their families while Shiro shakes hands with Garrison personnel and introduces Allura.

A hand rests on her shoulder. “You okay?” Keith asks. 

“Yeah,” she says limply, scanning the crowd of uniforms for the faces she desperately wants to see. 

“They’ll be here. Matt promised,” he reminds her. Matt’s word is good enough for her too. “And if the Garrison is keeping them, then Mom and I will get them to you,” he promises. 

Pidge smiles, overjoyed that she has such fast friends and teammates already. “Thanks, Keith.” A familiar bob of blonde hair wades through the crowd and Pidge prances with anxious energy. “I’m good."

After two years of being in space, Pidge flies into her mother’s arms. 

“Katie, my baby,” Colleen sobs and holds Pidge as if she could be ripped from her at any time.

A sob works its way up her throat, knees growing weak as she slides to the ground. Her mother follows, refusing to let go. “I’m so sorry,” Pidge cries. “I was so mean and I just wanted us to stay together. I never wanted to leave!”

A hold from behind, the unmistakable press of her father’s lips to her temple and Pidge sobs only harder. It has been so long, she’s forgotten what true safety feels like. “There’s nothing to forgive, Katie,” her father says softly. “Matt told us everything. We’re just glad you’re home.”

Secure in the embrace of her parents, Pidge settles her heart and her tears dry as she remembers this can’t last. 

“Mom...Dad…” she begins. Her parents give her space to back away, enough to see their tear-stained cautious faces. “I can’t stay. I’m a Paladin of Voltron now. I have the means to set things right in the universe and stop Zarkon and his followers from hurting others.” Her eyes find the ground, unable to look at their disappointed faces. “I know what it's like to not be able to fight back and no one is able to help.” She clenches her fists. “I can be the one who helps others now.”

Pidge fully expects outrage, disappointment, at least a counter argument. But as she finds the courage to look up, her parents display nothing but smiles and acceptance. 

“All of this is still so overwhelming,” her father begins. “We’re still wrapping our heads around the fact that aliens exist.”

“Your brother has been insufferable,” her mother chimes in with a laugh and a roll of her eyes.

“Hey,” Matt interjects from behind. “I was  _ right _ !”

Gently, her mother caresses her cheeks, soft hands so unlike Haxus’ giant clawed ones that Pidge melts in relief. “But this family is never going to be separated again,” Colleen insists. 

Her father smiles. “When you go back into space to fight, we’re coming with you.”

“We’re gonna make sure you’re not alone,” Matt adds. “We’ll be your support on the Castle.”

Pidge’s breath hitches, overcome by the support and unconditional love of her family. She missed them yes, but until now, when she lurches forward into her mother’s arms again to cry tears of joy, she hadn’t realized how much.

A Paladin of Voltron -  _ pilot  _ of the Green Lion of Voltron, with her parents’ engineering genius in both biology and mechanics, as well as her brother’s coding prowess, all going to space together.

It isn’t exactly how Pidge had planned it, but her dream has come true. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://rueitae.tumblr.com/)! Please leave a comment if you liked it! I'm anxious to know what your favorite part is!


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